The Importance Of Resilience
It is going to improve your quality of life. The higher your levels of resilience, the better your psychological and physical health will be. Resilient people are less likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression and manage most facets of their life more efficiently. There is the added benefit of healthier relationships as well. One of the key aspects of resilience is the ability to understand and control your emotions, which is going to naturally improve how you relate to others and thus make your relationships stronger (and healthier). Essentially, resilience helps people view their situations differently.
We waste a lot of energy trying to control things that we have no influence over and letting go of what we do have control over. Resilience improves your ability to bounce back from setbacks, challenges and adversity, to control what you can, and let go of the rest. Resilience is key to overcoming hardship in life, achieving goals and being a strong and resourceful person. The more resilient you are, the more you will achieve in life, period. With resilience, you learn about yourself and start to get a clearer view of what you value.
Mindset – Developing Resilience
There are couple of key steps that people experience as they attempt to build greater resilience. Understanding At this stage, you invest your energy into learning about the situation you are facing. If you are dealing with a health diagnosis, then this is the research stage where you set out to learn as much as possible. If you are dealing with change, you will still embark on a research project, it will just be shaped by the situation you are dealing with. The first stage is important because it sets the scene for the next two steps.
Managing – this step, you begin to learn new behaviors and coping strategies. You discover what it looks like to take care of yourself properly, from your physical and mental health to your social and financial health. You learn new ways to manage stress and deal with the unpredictability of life.
Growth – Finally, you will find growth. This is when the experience starts to shift your priorities. You now understand what is going on, you are learning how to manage it, and now you are growing into your new reality. Often, this is when resilient people start to notice how grateful they are for everything in their life. Gratitude has a large role to play in resilience.
Resilient people often share several characteristics.
One of the biggest is OUTLOOK. To build resilience, you are required to adopt a positive mindset. Your attitude is key. For example, if you view failure as a learning opportunity, then you have a greater understanding and are in greater control of your emotions. This type of positive outlook is key to resilience. This positive mindset will serve as your fuel as you attempt to carry on in the face of adversity or change. In addition to a positive mindset, there are other contributing factors to resilience. One of which is your support network. It’s much easier to build resilience when you have a safety net of people who love and support you.
What else?
- A positive view of yourself.
- Feeling secure in your strengths, skills, and ability to deal with difficult situations.
- Being a strong communicator.
- Being a strong problem-solver.
- Maintaining a never say die attitude.
- A strong decision-making ability.
- The ability to put together plans and follow through.
- The ability to see the bigger picture.
If you do not currently possess these qualities, there’s good news. Just as you can build resilience, you can build each of the contributing factors mentioned above. I have written a short book on the basics of Resilience, where I mention the Seven Skills You Need To Walk Through Life with resilience.