How to build resilience and why it’s important
How resilient are you? If resilience isn’t something you think about then I encourage you to stop and take a second to read this.
Resilience is your ability to recover quickly from difficulties. A resilient person can face challenges or difficult times with confidence, knowing that they will be able to recover and most importantly they understand what it takes to recover with minimal negative impact on themselves and those around them.
I want to be real with you for a second. Thriving isn’t about being happy all the time. It’s not living a life with no ups and downs, it’s living a life knowing that whatever life throws at you, you will be able to face it. So, the key to thriving long term is resilience. Without resilience you can thrive in the short term but as soon as something gets in your way or something negative happens (which is inevitable in life), you default back to your old, unconscious behaviours because they feel safe.
When I work with my clients, I want them to thrive long term, so I teach them the techniques required to build resilience. Here are my top 5 tips:
1) Know yourself — Self-awareness is essential when building resilience because you need to know what you can/cannot manage; you need to know the triggers that will tip you over the edge. Take a moment to reflect and think about all the times you’ve encountered something that has required your resilience. These are your triggers. Be aware of them.
2) Check-in with yourself — This is important because it gives you an idea of where you’re at; are you doing ok, or do you need to pause and make some changes? A daily check-in is ideal because it helps you catch yourself before you feel stressed or burnt out. Consider taking a few minutes each day and ask yourself “how am I doing today? What do I need to do to make today a good day?” These 2 questions give you the opportunity to put your needs first and do something that will stop things getting out of hand.
3) Go back to basics — Your brain likes routine so when you feel out of control the first thing you need to do is check your routine. Getting plenty of sleep, having a healthy balanced diet, getting outside, and exercising really do make a huge difference because they fuel your body, so it has the energy to face whatever’s in front of you.
4) Problem solving — Active problem solving is a helpful way to build resilience. Thinking about the problem or challenge you’re faced with and how to reduce impact or overcome it gives you the opportunity to act and seek support when needed.
5) Shift your mindset — When we approach situations with a rational mind, we have a greater capacity to take them on. Understanding your personal baggage and how it might be impacting the way you’re assessing a situation is a great skill to have when it comes to resilience. The next time you’re presented with a situation, stop, pause, and think about the facts; what’s actually going on here? What’s in my control/out of my control? What could I do to resolve the situation?
Implementing these 5 steps will help you build resilience so that you can thrive instead of just survive, in the long term. How will you use them to help you in life and work?
