Resilience

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Feeling a bit stressed?  High levels of personal stress within and outside of the workplace are becoming commonplace.  Stress is not going away, which is why focusing on developing your resilience will help you deal with the daily stressors you are faced with.  Resilience is being able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. Resilient people have an ability to experience both negative and positive emotions even in difficult or painful situations. They are able to find potential or value in most challenges. The following characteristics will help you develop your resilience.

Filtering information and interpreting your world

  • Personal Responsibility – the extent to which you believe that your success at work is determined by you talents and motivation as opposed to external factors such as luck or good timing.
  • Realistic Optimism – seeing the world in a positive way, but also remaining grounded in reality. It is noticing and appreciating positive experiences whenever and wherever they occur, not taking things for granted.
  • Personal Beliefs– seeking and embracing the sense that life has meaning and purpose. This may be in the form of religious observance, spirituality, or devotion to a particular value system or cause.

Handling challenges

  • Self-Assurance– the extent to which you believe you can
    successfully perform work-related tasks or behaviors. Challenge your reflexive thoughts and negative self-talk; change emotional patterns, restrain your negative thinking and stoke your positive thinking.
  • Self-Composure – the extent to which you manage your stress and remain calm under pressure. Take stock of how things might Resiliencehave been otherwise, instead of just how they are, use strategic positive thinking to increase gratitude, which then builds resiliency.
  • Self-Care – good physical health, including a regular routine of healthy habits is foundational to both mental and emotional resilience. This includes taking mental breaks and time to relax, especially spending time outdoors and surrounding yourself with people you enjoy. Research suggests that spending just 20 minutes outside leads to more expansive and open thinking.
  • Problem-Solving– the extent to which you can plan and resolve problems effectively. One strategy to fostering a learner mindset is to use “question thinking” (“What is useful here?’ or ‘What are my available choices?’), as opposed to ‘Judger Questions’ (‘What’s wrong?’ or ‘Why me?’)
  • Goal Orientation– the extent to which you set appropriate goals and monitor your progress on those goals.  While it might sound cliché, the more you can consider challenges as opportunities to learn, grow and develop, the more resilient you are likely to be.

Communicating and connecting with others  

  • Courageous Conversations– the extent to which you communicate with others in a candid and courageous way in the face of difficulty.
  • Social Support– the extent to which you have a supportive social network.  Being of service to others is a potent way of fuelling resilience.  Studies have shown that serotonin (the neurotransmitter associated with feelings of happiness and well-being) is used more efficiently by people who have just engaged in an act of kindness. There is a cumulative effect to continued acts of kindness and the serotonin boosts that accompany them. You can fill up your well of resiliency when you consistently add to it. When times get difficult, you can draw upon this well

What are you going to do today to start depositing into your resiliency account?

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