Resilience speaks to one’s ability to bounce back from difficulties and catastrophes experienced in life. Resilience is essential to navigating life because adversity and challenges are inevitable.
While there are a variety of things related to resilience, the following is a list of resilience power words. Each of these words is linked to the development of resilience, which ultimately equates to the ability to handle adversity with grace.
Acceptance
Adversity is inevitable, so learning to accept and embrace it is essential to developing resilience and navigating challenges well. Those who are resilient accept difficulties as a part of life and spend their time and energy learning to adapt to the adversity rather than fighting it or running from it. The choice to lean into the discomfort and embrace it ultimately helps people better deal with and bounce back from the hardships they face (Waters, 2013).
Adaptability
The ability to be able to adjust and shift as new circumstances and challenges arise is a key facet of resilience. Those who are resilient can develop numerous strategies from dealing with stressful situations. This flexibility in the way they think about challenges allows them to respond flexibly with regards to their emotion. Thus, they are better able to shift from one coping strategy to another depending upon what is best given the specific set of circumstances (Barker, 2016).
Awareness
Awareness is also heavily tied to the development of resilience. Awareness helps individuals understand what they need, how they feel, when they need to reach out for help, and when they need to make adjustments and improvements. Being aware of what personal adjustments need to be made to one’s self or one’s situation helps individuals gain the knowledge and information needed to best approach and navigate the challenge at hand (Waters, 2013).
Boundaries
Boundaries in the context of adversity relate to one’s ability to create distinction between who they are at their core and the cause of their current negative circumstances. This means being able to understand that the adversity currently being faced is temporary.
This also means refraining from allowing the negative situation or circumstance to become one’s permanent identity. Being able to set these boundaries aids in quick recovery from trials because individuals understand that their situation will eventually change for the better, and there is the understanding that their identity is not rooted in the trauma. Thus, there is an ability to approach the challenge with a more positive attitude, and less likelihood of allowing the challenge to define one’s self (Waters, 2013).
Confidence
A key to learning to cope with the stresses of life is a belief in your ability to do so. Research shows that there is a link between one’s self-esteem and one’s ability to handle stress and recover from negative events. People who lack self-esteem have a tendency to approach negative events with a negative outlook, and in general, have more negative outcomes. On the other hand, those who possess high levels of confidence in themselves and their abilities, approach negative circumstances with the belief that they possess what is necessary to overcome the circumstance. Thus, their outcomes tend to be more favorable (Cherry, 2020).
Goals
Goal setting and resilience are linked in the sense that setting goals help breakdown challenges and hardships into more manageable parts that can be tackled and conquered. Goals allow challenges to be addressed in a realistic manner while also helping people to manage their emotional response to a given situation. When a person can tackle a situation one step at a time, there is less anxiety, less stress, and more probability of a favorable outcome. This ultimately means a better ability to bounce back from adversity (Cherry, 2020).
Optimism
Optimism is the ability to look at situations and circumstances and find the positives, even in the midst of what seems like endless negatives. The ability to approach hardships with this type of positive attitude is key to being able to quickly recover from the difficulties we face in life.
True optimism isn’t about ignoring the negatives, but rather paying attention to those negatives that are relevant to the problems they face and then actively choosing not to remain focused on those negative solely or long term. True optimists who are able to foster resilience learn how to balance a positive outlook with a realistic view of the world and that helps them bounce back from challenges faced (Barker, 2016).
Problem-Solving
There is research that suggests people who know how to analyze and develop solutions for problems are better able to cope with challenges as compared to those who do not know how to do those things. Being faced with a challenge creates an opportunity for individuals to do the work and learning that will help them develop potential solutions for the issue at hand.
It is that regular and consistent work of engaging in exercises that build focus and encourages non-traditional thinking that better helps individuals reason to able be able to solve problems in future scenarios (Cherry, 2020).
Purpose
Finding or creating a sense of purpose for yourself in the midst of adversity or crisis can significantly help when it comes to coping and recovery. Developing a ‘why’ becomes the motivation needed to do the work that will help you get through the crisis. It is the purpose that makes the work of fighting through the trouble worthwhile and sustains your ability to continue moving forward so you can overcome adversity (Cherry, 2020).
Having a support system in place when faced with difficulties is essential to building resilience. The emotional support offered by having additional people to help you carry the load of mental/emotional burdens can make the adversity more manageable and easier to navigate.
Additionally, others can remind you of your abilities and strengths which may help you tap into the skills and inner strength you need to persevere. The support of others can also offer practical physical support and provision of resources and information that will aid you in overcoming the challenges you face (Barker, 2016).
Resilience is linked to so many other useful traits and qualities. In fostering resilience, one is able to foster the qualities mentioned in this article, and by fostering the characteristics noted in this article resilience is subsequently strengthened.
Thus, an emphasis on continued growth in any of these areas is sure to result in improved resilience which is sure to result in a better ability to navigate through life.
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References:
Barker, E. (2016, April 26). 10 ways to boost your emotional resilience, backed by research. Time. https://time.com/4306492/boost-emotional-resilience/
Cherry, K. (2020, January). Use these 10 tips to improve your resilience. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/ways-to-become-more-resilient-2795063
Waters, B. (2013, May 21). 10 traits of emotionally resilient people. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/design-your-path/201305/10-traits-emotionally-resilient-people