It can be important for helping people deal with a variety of problems and recover from trauma.
It’s a lot more than just being “tough.”
Resilience allows us to withstand life’s hardships and find the strength and resolve to get back up again.
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But these moments are exactly why resilience is so important.
Resilience allows us to keep showing up and looking for new ways to face these challenges every day.
We find ways to keep going, even when it feels impossible.
What makes a person resilient?
What Does Resilience Mean?
Being resilient means facing difficulties head-on instead of falling into despair or using unhealthy coping strategies.
Resilience is often defined as the mental reservoir of strength that helps people handle stress and hardship.
Resilient people are able to draw upon this strength to cope and recover from challenges.
Resilience also means understanding that life is full of challenges.
Resilient people are aware of situations, their emotional reactions, and the behavior of those around them.
By remaining aware, they can maintain control of a situation and think of new ways to tackle problems.
In many cases, resilient people emerge stronger after such difficulties.
Or do you blame outside sources for failures and problems?
Of course, some factors are simply outside of our personal control, such as natural disasters.
In dangerous situations, less resilient people sometimes develop tunnel vision.
They fail to note important details or take advantage of opportunities.
Resilient individuals are able to calmly and rationally look at a problem and envision a successful solution.
Resilient people avoid thinking like a victim of circumstance and instead look for ways to handle the problem.
While the situation may be unavoidable, they stay focused on a positive outcome.
Emotional Regulation
Resilience is also characterized by an ability toregulate emotionseffectively.
Self-Compassion
Resilient people are also compassionate toward themselves.
When facing hardships, it’s important to be gentle with ourselves.
Treating ourselves with kindness can be the key to helping us find the resolve and strength to keep going.
Self-compassioncan help boost overall health and resilience and ensure you’re ready to face life’s challenges.
Examples of Resilience
So what does resilience look like in action?
How Do I Build Resilience?
The key is to keep working on these skills over time.
By practicing these skills, resilience will become a part of your overall mindset.
While some people may be naturallymore resilient, it’s a skill that you might strengthen.
Start by practicing some of the common characteristics of resilient people and focusing on your existing strengths.
However, these skills can be developed at any age.
People who are stress-resilient have better coping strategies for handlingstress.
They can recover more quickly from the major and minor stressors that occur day to day.
American Academy of Pediatrics; 2011.
2021;46(4):692-736. doi:10.1177/10596011211027676
