Building Resilience

November 9, 2011

By definition, resilience can be described in two ways:

Physical ~ the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape caused by physical stress.

Psychological ~ the ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity or the like.

How resilient one is may depend on a whole host of factors, experts cannot agree on why some people are more resilient than others, but they do agree that you can build resilience. Resilience is most commonly understood as a process, not a trait of an individual. Therefore, it is assumed that it can be learned over time.
One of the ways I, as a coach, help clients build resilience is by assisting in the development of self-acceptance, a positive mind-set, and self-efficacy (or the ability to BELIEVE in oneself). Identifying those strengths that are already within helps build resilience to ‘set the stage’ for when adversity hits and setbacks arrive. Learning ways to cope with mental and emotional stress ensures that steps have been taken to master how one will deal with the situation at hand.
To begin this process, you must have a clear vision of what you want to see happen in your life. Writing it down and sharing it with another person is an exercise that enhances both resilience and initiative, and builds self-esteem through studying the end we hope to accomplish. Wellcoaches®

Here are some ways that you can build resilience in to your life:
1. Accept yourself the way you are and appreciate what you have to offer.
2. Set small attainable goals each day or each week.
3. Accept help and support from loved ones.
4. Plan for lapses to your program ~ a day without exercise or a ‘cheat’ meal.
5. Change your attitude toward stressful situations. Only YOU can control HOW you react to a situation, not the situation itself.
6. Visualize your life as you WISH it were.
7. Be kind to yourself ~ take a day off, get a massage or spend more time with friends.