Lesson 4 What is resilience and how can you strengthen it
- Resilience is the ability to “bounce back” from challenges, setbacks, and stressors. Just like a muscle in your body, you can strengthen your ability to be resilient. Developing a capacity for resilience involves behaviors, thoughts, and actions.
- The following list of practices can support your ability to build resilience:
- Seek social connections and support. Relationships with close family members and friends are important. Then accept their help and support. Helping others also often benefits the helper.
- Clarify values and do what matters. Think about what your priorities are and what must be done first. Be ready to change if situations change.
- Deal with a crisis by taking one step at a time. Manage big issues by looking at the necessary actions one at a time, and then placing them within reasonable timeframes.
- Accept change. By acknowledging circumstances that you cannot change you can better focus your energies on those you can change or improve.
- Take action. Instead of avoiding problems or stressors, take action and address them directly whenever you can.
- Look for opportunities for self-discovery. Reflect on how you may have grown based on the challenges you have experienced.
- Think positively about yourself. By focusing on your strengths, you can develop trust in your instincts and confidence in your problem-solving abilities.
- Take care of yourself. By practicing practical self-care habits, you can keep your body primed to respond to stressful situations. Examples include paying attention to your feelings, exercising regularly, and taking time for the activities you enjoy.