RESILIENCE: What IS IT AND How CAN YOU Build It?

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There are so many discussions about “resilience” these days, especially among the corporate world. But do you really understand the concept of “resilience” and how to achieve it? Read on for the lowdown and some tips you can follow to boost yourself in this area.

What is Resilience?

Some people believe that resilience is about being fearless, but it’s actually a lot more than that. Resiliency is about having the ability to adapt and bounce back when faced with challenges, when things don’t go the way you want. It’s important to understand that instead of dwelling on failures and feeling like there’s no point going on, you pick yourself up, acknowledge what has happened and the situation you’re in, learn from your mistakes and keep moving forward.

While resilience is important in terms of personal development, it is also a critical component when it comes to effective leadership. It’s a powerful tool that could help you to upgrade your skills and become a badass leader. However, understanding the meaning of “resilience” is not enough, you also need to understand the benefits of it in order for you to have the motivation to implement it.

Benefits of Resilience

Resilience is an important strength to have both for your personal and professional life. It allows you to develop mechanisms to help protect yourself from experiences that could be quite overpowering your ability. When you’re resilient, you can maintain a balance in your life during challenging times, as well as protect yourself from the development of mental health difficulties.

You can avoid risks of undertaking negative behaviours such as using drugs, excessive drinking, and smoking; also improve your learning abilities and strengthen your physical health as well as energy levels. Once you have a better physical wellbeing, you increase your ability to cope with the workload and with challenging colleagues, suppliers, customers, bosses. Being resilient also means being more productive, socially active and gain healthy relationships.

Tips for Building Resilience

Many people think it is something we are born with, it is partly true. However, at the same time, this skill can also be honed. There are steps you can take to develop this trait in yourself, or to build it back up after a trauma or some other particularly challenging time.

Start looking after your wellbeing. Try to have a minimum of seven to eight hours of sleep per day, eat well, exercise regularly, and give yourself time to relax. You can do meditation, yoga, nature walks, listen to music, take a bath, read more books and spend quality time with friends and family members. It could help you to feel more relaxed and in control. It’s also wise to develop yourself an interest or a hobby. That way, when you feel like things are becoming overwhelming for you, it won’t seem so much like the end of the world. By taking care of your physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing, you’ll be able to bounce back from setbacks
more easily.

Open your mindset and allow spaces for growth. It is important to learn, develop as a person and be committed to it. Don’t always think that you have to be the same person, doing the same things and getting the same results everyday. When you’re willing to learn, you’ll perceive difficulties as challenges which you can get something out of, then it will result in giving you opportunities to grow.

Keep in mind that challenges are not permanent. You might feel terrible at first, but the knowledge you gain out of it will actually give you a long-term lesson. And it is crucial to be able to quickly accept what has happened and look for ways to move on. Imagine yourself as an arrow, in order to move forward you need to be pulled backward.

Commitment and control are also key factors in resilience. You need to be committed to your goals and what you want to do in your life, so when challenges arrive , you have a reason to keep going. As for control, focus your time and energy on those things that you have control over such as events, situations, and skills. Accept the fact that there are things in your life that are uncontrollable. Never play the victim; you have to work to change the things you have a say in, and find ways to live with the results of the things you don’t.