What is Resilience?
Resilience is the ability to grow and thrive in the face of challenges and bounce back from adversity. Resilient people aren’t broken when they face a challenging situation. They bounce back from it. It is important to know that resilience can be developed! It is a process and everyone can develop it.
Myths & Facts about Resilience (University of Pennsylvania)
| Myth | Fact |
|---|---|
| Resilient people never show emotion. | Resilient people learn to regulate emotion. |
| It's about me, me, me. | Resilience is about individuals and relationships. |
| I must handle everything by myself. | Asking for help is a resilient strategy. |
| I must always act quickly. | Resilient people know when to slow down. |
| It's about superhuman feats bouncing back. | Resilience is about bouncing back. |
| I always have to be fully composed. | Resilience doesn't always look pretty. |
| You either have it or you don't. | Everyone can develop it. |
| Resilience is a destination. | Resilience is a process. |
How to Become More Resilient (University of Pennsylvania)
- Increase self-awareness
- identify your thoughts, feelings, behaviors
- Identify thinking and behavior patterns that are counterproductive to your goals
- Increase self-regulation
- Regulate your impulses, emotions, and behaviors to achieve your goals
- Express your emotions appropriately
- Become more optimistic
- Be realistic
- Hunt for the “good stuff”
- Figure out what is controllable
- Stay hopeful
- Be confident
- Become more mentally agile
- Think flexibly
- take other perspectives
- Identify and understand problems
- Be willing to try new strategies
- Increase your strengths of character
- Recognize your top strengths and figure out how to use them to overcome challenges and meet goals
- Have faith in your strengths, talents, and abilities
- Increase connections
- Build and maintain strong relationships
- Practice positive and effective communication
- Be empathetic
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help
- Support others
Resilient Activities
Articles on Resilience
Resiliency Videos