Strength and Resilience
You may have heard the word resilience or being resilient. But maybe you don’t totally know what this means. In psychology we use resilience a lot because resilience is truly the foundation for what we build on in therapy. So what is resilience and why is it so important?
According to the American Psychological Association, “Resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands”.
Resilience is really how to cope with things you are dealing with. It’s the way you handle and manage the stressors in your life or the events that cause you pain. Resilience is the way you bounce back from an unfortunate or difficult situation.
Resiliency isn’t about being unaffected by things, but rather how you handle what comes your way. In sports psychology we say resilience is how you handle setbacks or how you get your head back in the game after a loss or a failed pass. In counseling, we say to have resilience is to feel what you need to feel, be angry or sad about it, and then work on identifying ways you can move forward from this difficult thing that has occurred.
Is this easier said than done? Yes more often than not. But resilience and having this type of mental toughness or mental mindset is important not just for sports and performance but for career achieving success, romantic, social and family relationships and for overall emotional and psychological well-being. Read on to learn more about resiliency and its benefits.
Resilience fosters mental health growth and psychological well-being in a number of ways.
- Reduces Anxiety and Depression: Resilient individuals are more likely to manage stress therefore less likely to have it increase anxiety and depression and affect your overall mental well-being.
- Promotes Healthy Coping: Resilient individuals don’t blame themselves for things or ruminate on what ifs, instead they use problem solving skills and self-compassion to overcome what has happened
- Increases Confidence: Each time you overcome a challenge, you believe more in yourself, in your skill set and your ability to handle what comes your way.
So now that you know being resilient is a helpful tool. How do you begin to develop resiliency in your life?
- Create Relationships: Having strong and supportive relationships and meaningful connections to those around you can foster a resilient attitude and outlook. Having these
types of relationships gives us strength and courage, gives us a sense of belonging and can buffer us from stressful and difficult situations.
- Practice Self-Love. To build resilience, you must begin to treat yourself with kindness and respect when something goes wrong. Continuing to believe in yourself even when things are not going well is a key piece of resilience and moving forward from stressful situations.
- Reframe Your Perspective. Learn to see challenges as temporary, not permanent and overwhelming. Look at the glass half full instead of half empty.
- Set Realistic Goals. Breaking down problems into manageable steps can empower you and create a sense of control when things seem overwhelming and out of reach.
- Ask For Help. Resilience doesn’t mean you do things alone. It means you know when you need help and how to ask for help.
Now that you know the importance and meaning behind resiliency, a great place to start on your journey is with our therapists at Elite Psychology and Wellness!
