Rather than defining resilience again, perhaps the best place to start would be to look at why resilience matters. Adversity and change are inevitable parts of life. They are unavoidable landmarks along your journey and when they come knocking, the best thing we can do is embrace it.
For many, that might be easier said than done, but by building your resilience regularly and learning resilience strategies it may be easier than you think.
What is a resilience strategy?
A resilience strategy is a way in which you can try to soften the impact of change and adversity. It might be how you get back on your feet after losing your job, or it could be how you get yourself out of bed in the morning when nothing seems right.
Resilience is not about getting through every situation with ease but more about how quickly you get back to the same state of being before the change or adversity occurred.
Why do you need a resilience strategy?
Most people already have resilience strategies or coping mechanisms. They perhaps just don’t label them as such. What pro-actively designing a resilience strategy is about is consciously creating or designing a positive “go-to” behaviour to default to when a regular or known situation appears that makes you feel out of control.
This means that when an irregular or unknown situation comes, you will already have several strategies or coping mechanisms in place that allow you to get back to your more familiar central point quicker.
What are good examples of resilience strategies?
1. Stay positive
Taking time out every day (even if it’s just for five minutes) to think about something that happened that you are grateful for can help your mental health and increase your resilience. This is an especially effective strategy if you’re going through a tough time or you find yourself thinking negatively about what has happened in the past.
2. Reframing the change or event through asking a different question
Many people have a default resting question – like “Why does this happen to me?” If you keep asking your brain that question, it will give you the same answer, which might not be that positive. By asking a different question, you will get a different answer. Questions like “What is good about this?” or “Where is the main opportunity here?” will focus you on a positive frame for an evolving situation.
3. Take action
If appropriate, put things into action straight away and make sure it is an action you can take. Action is a forward motion – it drives you to do something…of which more consequences will come. If you keep the action as YOURS then it is even more positive.
4. Communicate
In all relationships, especially those at work, communication is key. If you’re going through a tough time it might be tempting to bottle everything up. That can easily turn into resentment and frustration which ultimately does more harm than good. Regularly communicating with those around you about how you feel will help them support you, as well as help you to improve your situation.
5. Take a break
There will be times when taking a break is the only answer. Be it to meditate, walk, go into the garden whatever. A break allows you to recharge and bring a fresh perspective back.
What to do next?
What strategies do you have to build your resilience? Beyond the Barriers can help you identify your effective “go-to” strategies and build new ones as you evolve and change.
Get in touch to discuss how we can help you today.
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