Stress is inevitable but
suffering is our option. Learn to bounce back as quickly as possible during
hard time.
Resilience is the capacity
of people to effectively cope with, adjust, or recover from stress or adversity.
Resilience reflects the
ability to
- bounce back
- beat the odds
-
transform one’s emotional and physical pain into something “positive”
- evidence a relatively stable trajectory of
healthy functioning across time
- move from being a victim to being a
“survivor” and even to becoming a “thriver”
- be “stress hardy” adapting to whatever life
sends, and for some, even evidencing
“post- traumatic growth”
Pathways to resilience (Meichenbaum).
a) The
perceived availability of social relationships and the ability to access and
use social supports;
b) The
degree of perceived personal control and the extent to which individuals focus
their time and energies on tasks and
situations over which they have some impact and influence;
c) The
degree to which they can experience positive emotions and self-regulate
negative emotions;
d) The
ability to be cognitively flexible, using both direct-action problem-solving
and emotionally palliative acceptance skills, as the situations call for;
e) The ability to engage in activities that are
consistent with one’s values and life priorities that reflect a stake in the
future;
Psychological Characteristics of Resilient Individuals (Meichenbaum).
- Experience Positive Emotions and Regulate Strong
Negative Emotions
Be
realistically optimistic, hopeful, ability to laugh at oneself, humor, courage,
face one’s fears and manage emotions.
Positive expectations about the future. Positive self-image. Build on existing strengths, talents and social supports.
- Adapt a Task-Oriented Coping Style
Ability to
match one’s coping skills, namely direct action present-focused and
emotionally-palliative acceptance with
the demands of the situation. Actively seek help and garner social supports.
Have a resilient role model, even a
heroic figure who can act as a mentor. Have self-efficacy and a belief that one
can control one’s environment effectively. Self confidence. Seek out new and
challenging experiences out of one’s
“comfort zone” and evidence “GRIT” or the perseverance and passion to pursue long-term goals.
- Be Cognitively Flexible
Ability to
reframe, redefine, restore, find benefits, engage in social problem-solving and
alternative thinking to adaptively meet
changing demands and handle transitional stressors.
- Undertake a Meaning-Making Mission
Create meaning
and a purpose in life; survivor’s mission. Use one’s faith, spirituality and
values as a “moral compass”. Be
altruistic and make a “gift” of one’s experience. Share one’s story. General sense of trust in others.
- Keep Fit and Safe
Exercise,
follow a routine, reduce risks, avoid unsafe high-risk behaviors (substance
abuse, chasing “adrenaline rush” activities).
Resilience core (Gail M. Wagnild)
Resilience core, which is made up
of the five essential characteristics of resilience:
1. Meaningful life (purpose)
Having
a sense of one’s own meaning or purpose in life is probably the most important
characteristic of resilience,
because it provides
the foundation for
the other four characteristics. Life without purpose is
futile and aimless.
2. Perseverance
The determination
to keep going
despite difficulties, discouragement, and disappointment…that’s perseverance.
3. Self reliance
Equanimity
means balance and harmony. Resilient people learn to avoid extreme responses.
4. Equanimity
Self-reliance
is a belief in yourself, with a clear understanding of your capabilities and
limitations.
5. Coming home to yourself
(existential aloneness)
While
we all live in the world with other people, resilient individuals learn to live
with themselves. They become their own best friends. This is what ‘coming home
to yourself’ means. We must
face alone much
of what we
face in life;
if we are
content with ourselves, this
is easier.
Being more
resilient improves the quality of life. Understand your resilience core, know
where it is weak, and take steps to strengthen it, and then go forward boldly
and live resiliently.
Promoting resilience in youth (Edith Henderson Grotberg)
1. Build trust.
2. Focus on the individual, not
the problem.
3. Keep the accent on the
positive.
4. Set high expectations and
provide the support youth need to meet them.
Put resilience to the test by
doing the following:
1. Provide opportunities for
meaningful work and community involvement.
2. Pull in the parents.
3. Create a sense of community.
Resilience
concept is powerful influence on how we think about physical health,
psychological well-being, and social functioning. Learn to develop your
resilience characteristics.
