Resilience and..?

We are almost at crisis stations.

Not because of the coronavirus but of a different, less tangible, threat to our society. This is the worrying level of fragility in our capacity to deal with adversity.

I speak and write a lot about resilience and exposing ourselves to things that will challenge us. I strongly believe that resilience is an increasingly valuable attribute to possess. With social media, a lack of authentic connection and increasing rates of mental health illness, it is more important than ever to develop this in ourselves and each other (particularly our youth).

There is an abundance of research supporting resilience and the utility it has in enhancing mental health. It helps us to bounce back when things don’t go our way. In an uncertain world, there is never a guarantee that things will go the way we want them to, even when the deck is stacked in our favour.

However, what does “being resilient” even mean? It’s a bit of a buzz word and sounds great, but when it comes down to it, how do we cultivate resilience?

Here are some strategies and things to think about:

• Be optimistic about the future
• Practice gratitude on a daily basis (pro tip: write it down)
• Be willing and open to grow and learn things about yourself
• Develop your weaknesses and seek feedback
• Practice empathy with others by seeing things from another perspective
• Develop you self-efficacy (i.e. self belief of what you are capable of)

Of course, these are easier said than done. But if you surround yourselves with a supportive community and dedicate time to building this attributes, you will become much more prepared for when adversity strikes.

NOTE: If you want to read up on resilience and other positive psychological traits, take a look at this.