Resilience
By Shaylise Sylvester
Have you ever noticed that different people can be challenged by the same stressful event but have different responses? Varied reactions could be a result of a difference in resilience. The American Psychological Association defines resilience as "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." The exciting thing about resilience is that it is not naturally existing; it is a learned behavior, thought process, and action that anyone can acquire. Resilience is cultivated and practiced.
Why do we need resilience?
It is an innate part of life to experience challenges. Trauma was previously believed to be an uncommon human experience. However, research shows that traumatic experiences are common throughout the human lifespan, regardless of race, age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.
Many people use the term "traumatic" loosely, which has led to a misunderstanding of the term in the general public. In the DSM-5, trauma is defined as an event that resulted in death or threatened death, actual or threatened physical injury, or actual or threatened sexual violence. Psychosocial events such as a long-term breakup or losing employment are not considered traumatic (APA, 2013.)
After a traumatic event, experiencing shock and denial is common. Resilience is the protective barrier (like a bandage on a wound, putting on long underwear in winter, or sunscreen when exposed to the sun) to experiencing long-term reactions such as a unique flood of thoughts and emotions, strained relationships, or physical symptoms like headaches or long term health issues like heart disease.
Resilience sounds excellent, right? How do you build it?
It is similar to learning how to ski or ride a bike. There are components to building resilience.
The four components of resilience include:
Connection
Wellness
Healthy Thinking
Meaning
Connection
Healthy social relationships are essential to building resilience. A strong social connection with empathetic and understanding people who value your feelings is necessary. Research shows that the most important factor to living a happy life is the social relationships you have with others. Having strong healthy relationships is the core to psychological and physical health.
Wellness
In social media and dialogue nowadays, wellness is being overused and abused. Stress is understood as a mental experience, but stress is as much a physical response as a mental one. Taking care of yourself physically will help you manage stress and build skills to help you rise through challenges.
Fostering wellness includes:
Proper nutrition
Proper sleep
Hydration
Regular physical activity
Healthy Thinking
Healthy thinking should be habitual, like brushing teeth or flossing to prevent cavities. Everyone is an individual, and practicing healthy thinking can vary. Find something that fits you! Practicing healthy thinking can be journaling, meditating, praying, and thinking about the positive aspects of your life.
Meaning
Finding purpose (purpose, Purpose, Purpose!); We are social animals, and cultivating a healthy purpose is essential. This can include helping others, being proactive in the community that you live in, moving towards meaningful goals, or looking for opportunities for self-discovery.
Fostering the four components of building resilience also includes Avoiding negative outlets. Negative outlets include:
Alcohol
Drugs
Substances
The above negative outlets do not eliminate feelings of emotional distress or stress. Incorporating the four components of connection, wellness, healthy thinking, and meaning gives you resources to manage stress.
It's important to note that building resilience requires intentional effort and practice. It's not about avoiding or suppressing negative emotions but rather developing the skills and resources to manage them effectively. Resilience doesn't eliminate the experience of emotional distress or stress but equips individuals with tools to navigate through them and grow stronger as a result.
Works Cited
Resilience - American psychological association (APA). (n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience/
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Building your resilience. American Psychological Association. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience/building-your-resilience