Why is it Important to Develop Resilience During Difficult Times?
By: Ally Gilboa
Tags: Success, Leadership, Self Growth, Personal Development, Resilience

What does resilience mean?

Resilience is the ability to withstand adversity. It means the ability to look at things from several different angles right when you are in the midst of a crisis or any other difficult situation in your life- both personal and professional. It takes courage and a lot of inner strength. Whatever crisis you are going through, bear in mind that you cannot always control the circumstances but you can control the way you think and look at things.

Research on resilience theory has shown that resilience isn’t something people tap into only during overwhelming moments of adversity. It builds as people encounter all kinds of stressors on a daily basis, and protective factors can be nurtured.

There are four types of resilience: Psychological, Emotional, Physical, and Community.

According to Dr. Sood, a member of the Everyday Health Wellness Advisory Board, resilience can be defined in terms of five principles: gratitude, compassion, acceptance, meaning, and forgiveness.

Resilience brings you to the understanding that this is dealing with a new situation, threatening, frightening, and unusual in its intensity.

The basic idea of building resilience is the ability to survive and thrive in the face of change or distress as an integral part of life.

Resilience — a learned or innate ability?

This is a great question! I think it’s both. I found out that resilience is a reflex, a way of facing and understanding the world, that is deeply etched into a person’s mind and soul.

Resilience is an innate human capacity that can be learned and developed by anyone. It is dormant but once something very major happens in your life, it stirs within us and comes to the fore.

In a study on the subject- Resiliency: Nature or Nurture? Dr. Al Siebert, founder and the director of The Resiliency Center, claims that resilience can be learned at any age.

While he truly believed any individual can learn and develop resilience, he also believed that some individuals have the capacity for high levels of resilience already within them. Bernard states, “ We are all born with innate resiliency, with the capacity to develop the traits,” and as stated simply by A. Matson, “When adversity is relieved and basic human needs are restored, then resilience has a chance to emerge.”

Given that this ability is lying dormant, all you need to do is to learn how to awaken it. That’s what is beautiful about this concept -resilience- it allows you to change your situation and rewrite the script of your life at any given moment.

The knowledge of its existence with this sense of control is an invaluable part of what makes us human.

There is a wealth of information about resilience to help you build and develop this ability. Interesting research has discovered a variety of effective tools that people can use to maximize their own resiliency during hardship.

It also describes the seven skills of resilience that you can practice and enhance your well-being:

1. Cultivate a Belief in Your Ability to Cope.

2. Stay Connected with Sources of Support.

3. Talk About What You’re Going Through.

4. Be Helpful to Others.

5. Activate Positive Emotion.

6. Cultivate an Attitude of Survivorship.

7. Seek Meaning.

What kinds of people are more resilient?

Brave people by nature or those who have gone through a lot of adversity in their lives. I also think of leaders and people who have high awareness and endurance ability to deal with crises.