Before you get too worried, I am not asking you to get your gymnastic gear on and start performing perfect somersaults! It could be that in these challenging times you may have heard the term resilience popping up in articles; at work or in conversations with colleagues. A good first question would be what is it?
This is part of a definition I have come up with for resilience as I have researched the topic and prepared my online training:
“Resilience can be defined as the learned quality that people have so that when hit by adversity or severe challenge, they are able to recover quicker and stronger than before.”
Some of the characteristics of resilience would include:
- Ability to change focus
- Flexibility
- Being Adaptable
- Strong beliefs/Values
- Self-Aware
- Accepting the reality of what they face
Resilience doesn’t need a crisis to develop but it will enable resilient people to adapt to changing circumstances quicker, and more robustly than someone who hasn’t developed it. In short people who have developed resilience adapt quicker to the challenges they face and work out how they can change to take positive action.
It doesn’t mean that resilient people do not find the circumstances challenging I believe it is the difference between thinking as a victim and thinking as a survivor and focusing instead on thing that help you solve the problem.
The Resilience Institute has discovered using data from 26,000 individuals that developing resilience has had a strong effect on:
- Reducing depression
- Improving physical wellbeing
- Improving cognitive functioning
- Reducing the effects of stress
Those sound like great reasons to develop resilience.
John C. Maxwell said – “Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it!”
Challenge in life is not something we can avoid, we might wish that we could, but the reality is challenge, crisis and stress will fall in our lap at some point. John Maxwell is pointing out that the reality is we cannot control what happens to us – none of us wanted a pandemic! However, we can control how we react to it.
How are you facing this pandemic?
It is challenging but what one thing even if it is a small thing could you do today that will help your wellbeing and ability to adapt?
Why develop resilience?
Resilience enable us to bounce back quicker in challenging situations, it helps us to orientate on solutions and gives us a perspective that comes from the inside – that will make us more solution orientated. These skills at the very least will enable you to lead well and in so doing help others
You like I once did maybe asking can I develop resilience? If so, how?
Next week I will explore that question.
Until then maintain your focus, look for ways to see things you can laugh at and stay safe.
