(Rachel Goldsmith, Tuoroadjunct Assistant Professor in Population Health Science and Policy, Seattle University)
Seattle (US), The term resilience can be confusing. Does it mean staying calm when facing stress? Want to deal with any situation and get back to normalcy quickly? Want to overcome adversity? Is resilience an attitude, a character trait or a skill set? And could misconceptions about resilience harm people rather than help?
As a clinical psychologist, researcher and teacher specializing in training people to deal with stress more effectively, I know that resilience can be developed. But like physical fitness, you can’t get strong abs just by wishing for it. Instead, you have to repeat specific exercises that strengthen your abs; This will not work with mere intention.
Developing resilience is much the same. Like physical fitness, flexibility is not a single quality, but rather multiple elements that contribute differently to different strengths and conditions. For example, a person may handle relationship issues well, but may be unable to deal with the stress of a traffic jam.
Some of the building blocks of resiliency are factors that are largely beyond one’s control, such as having high income and education and a supportive environment. There are some things you can do in your daily life, such as exercise, hobbies and activities, and Getting enough sleep. Other aspects may take more time to develop, such as nurturing supportive relationships, building skills to tolerate distress and regulate emotions, meditating, incorporating spirituality or religion, and being less self-critical and Practicing more self-compassion.