What is resilience?
- Resilience is the ability to adapt to difficult situations and or experiences.
- When a negative experience or “crisis” occurs, it is normal for us to lose some functionality temporarily.
- This loss or reduction of functionality can be mental, physical or both.
- Resilience is the ability to ‘bounce back’. A person with high resilience will return to their normal functionality much quicker and more effectively than someone with low resilience.
Domains of resilience
- There are 5-6 commonly accepted domains or aspects of resilience:
- Vision
- Composure
- Tenacity
- Reasoning
- Collaboration
- Health
The reasoning domain
Reasoning as a resiliency domain functions as a broader umbrella term for a few cognitive skills, such as:
- Problem Solving
- Resourcefulness and
- Thriving through adversity
Problem solving
Problem solving is a process that includes:
- Defining the problem
- Identifying the source of the problem
- Brainstorming new ideas
- Evaluating those ideas critically and selecting an alternative solution
- Implementing the solution
Resourcefulness
To be resourceful is to be able to find practical and cleaver solutions to challenging situations. A resourceful person is:
- Insightful
- Observant
- Creative
- They ‘think outside the box’
Thriving through adversity
To thrive through adversity, is to be able to learn, grow and or find success at the other end of hardship or challenge. To ready yourself to thrive:
- Anticipate
- Plan
- Be prepared
Consider developing a Coping Kit with resources and tools to help you in hard times.
Journaling
Building resilience activities may seem a bit overwhelming at times. Consider starting simple. Try journaling. With a journal; you can dictate what you focus on and the focus can change with your needs. Some suggestions are: daily observations, challenges you faced during the day, your successes, plans for the future, general reflections, commentary or tracking of your health behaviours.
Want more information?
- Speak to an Exercise Therapist.
- Check out the Next Steps Tool box- Introduction to Resilience
- Check out the Next Steps Tool box- Assessing Resilience
- Check out the Next Steps Tool box- Building Resilience- Vision
- Check out the Next Steps Tool Box- Building Resilience – Composure
- Check out the Next Steps Tool Box- Building Resilience – Tenacity