Building Resilience for Life’s Challenges
By: Kelley Maynard, LMHC
Resilience is viewed as the ability to adapt to life’s challenges in the face of adversity, trauma, and tragedy. People who are resilient are able to move forward despite challenging circumstances. The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented time of adversity that has forced us to adapt to a new reality. While long-term outcomes of the pandemic have yet to be seen, history would suggest that resilience may be one of the likely outcomes.
Resilience can vary greatly and may look different for each individual. For some, it may be simply getting through the day by taking one step at a time. For others, it may be tolerating uncertainty, seeking out social supports, or reaching out for help. Often times, resilience may be thought of as a fixed trait or disposition: a person has resiliency, or they do not. Contrary to this belief, research suggests that resilience can be learned and developed by engaging in certain thoughts and behaviors. Like any skill, building resilience takes times, practice, and conscious effort.
People who are resilient still have bad days and can experience pain, distress, and suffering. The difference is that they will continue to engage in adaptive behaviors while they are struggling. Although resilience will not make problems go away, it can help you have the ability to endure through life’s challenges and better handle the stress that comes with them. In light of the pandemic, building resilience skills can be particularly important to help manage the ongoing stress and uncertainty during this time.
Below are strategies to help build resilience:
- Build connections. Prioritizing relationships and maintaining social connections is an important part of developing resilience. The pain of trauma can often lead to isolation, however connecting with others that care about you can remind you that you’re not alone. Joining a group, such as a volunteer organization or a faith or spiritual community, can help foster feelings of connectedness as well.
- Foster wellness. Taking care of yourself, both physically and mentally, is a key ingredient to building resilience. Stress impacts both the body and mind so practicing self-care is important. Lifestyle factors such as getting plenty of sleep, maintaining a healthy diet, proper hydration, and exercise are ways to take care of your physical health. Practicing mindfulness has been shown to be an effective strategy for managing stress and anxiety.
- Embrace healthy thoughts. The way you think about things can have a direct impact on how you feel and how you behave. Paying attention to your thought process, particularly during challenging times, is important for cultivating resilience. In can be easy during times of adversity to focus on what is going wrong in life, but it is important to balance this with acknowledgement of what is going well. Strategies such as keeping things in perspective, acceptance of change, and maintaining a hopeful outlook can help you develop the strength to endure during difficult times.
- Find purpose. Resilience can be fostered by engaging in prosocial behaviors. Helping others, such as supporting a friend or someone in need, can help create a sense of purpose and increase feelings of self-worth. Reaching out and finding ways to support the most vulnerable in the community can have positive effects on resilience. Finding a sense of purpose and meaning associated with surviving trauma or tragedy can help you move forward.
Building resilience will look different for everyone, especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important that each individual determine the most effective strategies for themselves. Remember, you are not alone on the road to resilience. If you are feeling stuck or need additional support, Behavioral Health Partners are here to help.
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References:
American Psychological Association. (2020, February 1). Building your resilience.http://www.apa.org/topics/resilience
Chen, S., & Bonanno, G. A. (2020). Psychological adjustment during the global outbreak of COVID-19: A resilience perspective. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(S1), S51-S54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0000685
PeConga, E. K., Gauthier, G. M., Holloway, A., Walker, R. S. W., Rosencrans, P. L., Zoellner, L. A., & Bedard-Gilligan, M. (2020). Resilience is spreading: Mental health within the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(S1), S47-S48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0000874
Keith Stein | 6/1/2021
