Why Resilience Matters — And How You Can Find Yours

Life can knock you down as often as it lifts you up. Being able to take regular disappointments matters, but you must also weather the worst of storms.

Key Takeaways:

• Resilience is a person’s ability to bounce back after adversity.
• Resilience brings benefits such as staying calm under pressure and better problem-solving capabilities.
• Some people are born more resilient, while others must work at it.

If it’s nothing else, life is exhilarating and unpredictable. It can be exciting to know that the next grand adventure is right around the corner.

It can also be terrifying. You never know exactly what might be around that corner. Sometimes the next great experience comes at a considerable cost.

That’s where resilience comes into play. Your ability to take a hit and bounce back is crucial to living a happy life. This article explores the meaning of resilience, some of its most valuable benefits, and how to strengthen your reserve to overcome any setback.

Resilience 101

Resilience refers to how well someone copes with and heals from problems in life. Problems come in all intensity levels, from stubbing your toe to losing a job, the death of a loved one, or a frightening medical diagnosis.

The difference between losing your cool and handling a stressful situation is your resilience. Resilient people typically have a positive outlook on life. Some people are born resilient, while others must learn to become that way.

Benefits of being resilient

Resilience is a vibrant mixture of many personal qualities, such as persistence, flexibility, and hardiness, allowing you to bend, but never break, under pressure. Resilient people have less anxiety, depression, and stress, but the benefits go far beyond these.

Problem-solving capabilities

Resilience offers plenty of personal, mental, and emotional problem-solving skills. Getting back up whenever you’re knocked down eventually exposes many ways to maneuver any situation.

Grace under pressure

Part of being resilient is remaining calm under pressure. It is the knowledge that everything will turn out fine and you will come out on top, no matter what happens. You make slow, well-thought-out decisions without overreacting.

Ability to delay gratification

Humans are hardwired to snatch the fastest avenue of gratification, even if there is a bigger, better reward for waiting. The ability to delay gratification and deny impulses is a sign of intellectual superiority. Resilient people have less trouble delaying gratification and use long-term rewards as motivation.

Deeper connections

Being resilient allows for a greater connection to the work around you, including personal relationships. You aren’t as quick to cut ties with people you care about and are more apt to understand when others have outbursts or harmful behavior.

Resilience benefits affect all areas of life. It can come completely naturally to many people, but others have to work at it. The key is to remind yourself of what life will be like when it can’t knock you down so easily.

Tips to build resilience

Building resilience isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Some very average, everyday actions can be incredibly helpful in improving your ability to bounce back after disappointment and disaster.

I love showing my teammates and coworkers how easy it is to trust yourself with some of the most effective techniques I’ve used in my journey to resilience and inner strength. Any of these typical daily tasks can work with a bit of intention:

Make every day count

Every day you’re alive should bring a bit of joy to your life. Schedule time for something that gives you a sense of accomplishment and purpose, no matter how small, every day. Establish clear, attainable goals. It helps you see more meaning when you look toward the future.

Get connected

Building healthy, strong relationships provides the necessary support, guidance, and acceptance everyone needs. Volunteering, joining a faith or spiritual community, and participating in community events are effective ways to meet people outside your immediate circle.

Learn from experience

Consider how you’ve dealt with hardships in the past and the skills and strategies that helped the most. An effective technique to help you identify positive and negative behavior patterns is to write about past experiences in a journal and use the insight to guide your behavior.

Self-care

People tend to ignore their own needs and feelings. They typically meet the needs of others before their own — if they address their own needs at all. Participating in activities and hobbies you enjoy is a form of self-care. Getting plenty of sleep and eating a healthy diet keeps you in shape and ready to meet the world head-on. Practicing stress management and relaxation techniques, such as yoga, deep breathing, meditation, guided imagery, or prayer, to manage tense emotions.

Stay positive

Living in the past or worrying about the future encourages negativity. You can’t change the past, and the slightest thing can change the future. The good things happening right now deserve your attention too. Anticipating and accepting change makes it easier to adapt to new challenges with less anxiety.

Take action

Take action when problems come your way. Observe what’s lacking in your life, design a plan, and ACT. Although recovering from a major setback, traumatic event, or loss can take time, always know that your situation can improve if you work at it.

You can make any disappointment in life an exercise in resilience. Use your inner strength to rise above the issue at hand and take things one step at a time. You’ll make better decisions and be proud of your strength and tenacity in the end.

We are all strong, resilient beings who can shape our own futures. That includes you! One thing that never fails to keep my resilience strong is taking stock of everything good in my life and being grateful that I never gave up on myself.

Don’t give up on yourself. You’ve got this.

Get ready to amp up your resilience and change your life

Once you start seeing your work on yourself pay off, personal transformation becomes addictive. It’s so much fun to be resilient and mold your world into exactly what you want it to be. I base my teachings on what I’ve found true about personal transformation and how it affects every part of life. Check out my LinkedIn and Twitter pages to see what resilience and personal transformation look like, and learn what they could do for you.