Why is it that some people seem to take life’s challenges in stride, while others fall apart at the least little thing? Haven’t you noticed that some people just ooze grit and determination and others give up after the tiniest failure? You might think this is because certain people have more dominant personalities or may be emotionally stronger than others, and you may be correct in some cases. Some people who seem so strong, however, have gotten that way because they have actually been taught to use coping tactics that allow them to better handle depression, stress, and anxiety. These people have gone through resilience training.
Resilience Definition
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Resilience is your ability to adapt well and recover quickly after stress, adversity, trauma or tragedy. If you have a resilient disposition, you are better able to maintain poise and a healthy level of physical and psychological wellness in the face of life’s challenges.”
When you have emotional resilience, you can look at problems as being temporary and something that can be changed. You can also perceive adversity not as catastrophic, but as something that can have positive aspects: resiliency means you “look on the bright side” of a problem. For those who don’t come by this mental fortitude easily, resilience training can be used to minimize negative thoughts and help you learn ways to bounce back effectively from life’s setbacks.
One thing to keep in mind – being resilient does not mean that you will go through your life without experiencing grief, loss, and painful events. Instead, understand that suffering and personal growth can exist side by side when you learn to work through the emotional effects of adversity.
Besides thorough training, emotional resilience can come from:
- Having close relationships with family and friends
- Feeling like you are in control of a situation
- Having confidence in yourself, knowing your strengths
- Keeping a positive outlook – looking for the positives, in spite of your difficulties
- Not seeing yourself as a victim
- Good problem-solving skills
- The ability to manage strong feelings and impulses
- Being able to let others help you and being able to help others
- Being able to look for and use resources
- Coping with stress in healthy ways and avoiding harmful coping strategies, such as substance abuse
- Identify ways to respond positively to the pressures and demands of work, finances, and other stressors
- Learn techniques to manage risks
- Gain tips for developing your natural strengths
- Find ways to identify the opportunities that can come from challenges and setbacks
- See the relationship between performance, work pressure, personal well-being, and resilience
- Practice techniques for promoting long-term behavior and attitude for developing resilience
- Develop creativity and problem solving methods
- Learn relaxation and stress management techniques
Dr. Andrew Rosen
Dr. Andrew Rosen PHD, ABPP, FAACP is a Board-Certified Psychologist and the Founder and Director of The Center for Treatment of Anxiety and Mood Disorders, as well as, the Founder of The Children’s Center for Psychiatry Psychology and Related Services.