In the face of life’s inevitable challenges and setbacks, resilience stands as our greatest ally. This essential skill empowers us to navigate life’s storms and emerge with renewed strength.
Whether you’re dealing with the loss of a loved one, job upheaval, or everyday stress, resilience is the key to navigating these trials. It’s not just about enduring but thriving despite adversity.
Discover how you can cultivate this vital trait and safeguard your mental health, no matter your age or background.
What is resilience? Why is it important to our mental health?
Resilience is the skill that enables us to navigate life’s challenges and bounce back from adversity. It involves recovering quickly and effectively from negative experiences such as loss, trauma, or unexpected setbacks. Regardless of whether one is optimistic, realistic, or pessimistic, resilience can be cultivated. It’s developed through supportive early experiences and the choices we make during difficult times.
Building resilience helps prevent mental health issues like depression and anxiety. By allowing ourselves to feel negative emotions and then taking constructive action, we enhance our resilience and protect our mental well-being. For example, losing a job may evoke feelings of sadness or anger, but by updating our resume and seeking new employment, we strengthen our resilience and avoid emotional breakdowns.
How do we know if we are resilient?
Resilient individuals typically possess a positive worldview and have successfully navigated stressful childhood events with their parents’ support. These early experiences, such as starting school or coping with loss, teach us how to handle stress and build resilience, regardless of our natural disposition.
To gauge your resilience, consider your perception of the world. Do you view it as safe or dangerous, stable or chaotic, engaging or boring? A positive outlook fosters confidence and a sense of control, which are crucial for resilience. Gratitude and curiosity also play significant roles in responding to life’s challenges.
What are the key attributes of resilience?
Resilience can be developed at any age. According to Dr. K. Ginsberg, there are seven key attributes, known as the ‘7 C’s of Resilience’:
- Competence: Building know-how through learning, practice, and failure.
- Confidence: Gaining sureness through exploration and self-trust.
- Connection: Feeling secure through relationships and trust in intuition.
- Character: Understanding the impact of our actions on others and acting with integrity.
- Contribution: Finding meaning and purpose through empathy and helping others.
- Coping: Managing emotions, thoughts, and behaviors to build hope and self-belief.
- Control: Feeling empowered by recognizing cause and effect and striving for positive outcomes.
As you reflect on these, consider how you can enhance your resiliency skills as an adult. And, for new parents, I encourage you to read how Dr. Ginsberg encourages you to teach these attributes to your children.
Factors Influencing Resilience
Resilience is influenced by a combination of psychological, neurological, and biological factors. Key aspects include having experienced secure attachment, the ability to experience positive emotions, and a sense of meaning and purpose. The brain’s reward system, activated by overcoming stress and achieving goals, reinforces resilient behaviors.
Our human systems are innately connected and impacted by our intentional focus on multiple fronts. To enhance our resiliency skill set:
- Maintain physical health to keep you moving.
- Stay engaged with social support on a regular basis.
- Practice mental games, read often, and learn about new things to stay cognitively flexible.
- Learn and practice self-regulation to manage emotions within normal limits.
- Look for opportunities over struggles to foster optimism.
- Incorporate spiritual practices or mindfulness, as these simple acts can be lifesaving.
Psychological research underscores the importance of positive emotions and a sense of purpose in building resilience. To foster these, integrate mindfulness, meditation, and gratitude into your daily routine. Utilize everyday moments that require minimal time, such as waiting at a red light or in the school pickup line. Open your window, close your eyes, and listen to your surroundings. Replace critical thoughts with grateful ones: “That driver is so slow” becomes “Driving slower means I can enjoy my music longer.” Small practices like these can significantly enhance your resilience.
When we feel less resilient, we may experience draining events, heightened vulnerability, or a lack of social connection, manifesting as crying, screaming, or aggressive behavior. Changes in eating or sleeping habits, nightmares, and difficulty concentrating can also occur. High external demands, such as those following community-wide disasters, can further lower resilience and lead to untreated mental health concerns.
Tips for Building Resilience
We’ve been discussing mental health from the perspectives of being more accepting of our own and each other’s times of distress, and how to build up our mental strength. Let’s sum it all up with a few catchphrases:
- Kindness each day keeps distress away.
- Looking back builds strength.
- Grateful and hopeful attitudes enhance resilience.
- The realistic and accurate truth will set you free.
- Feel the feels. Make the plan. Take the action.
- See the opportunity.
- Self-care is empathy for yourself and others.
By integrating these practices into your daily life, you can build and maintain resilience, protecting your mental and emotional well-being.
Take the Next Step
Resilience is your greatest tool for navigating life’s challenges. By building and nurturing this skill, you can protect your mental health and thrive despite adversity. If you recognize yourself struggling, remember that seeking help is a strength, not a weakness.
Mental health professionals are here to support you, just like your primary care physician for physical health concerns. Early intervention leads to better outcomes, so don’t hesitate to reach out. Contact us at Maison Vie to begin your journey to resilience and well-being.
What else should you know about building resilience?
Watch family and marriage therapist Susan Harrington, founder of Maison Vie, discuss how you can cultivate resilience in your life. For personalized guidance, you can request an appointment with Susan to guide you through counseling sessions.
