There are so many definitions of resilience. The term ‘bounce back’ is often spoken about and we tend to use examples such as an elastic band or a ‘Stretch Armstrong’ to illustrate it. How can we bounce back from adversity?
Because of the numerous definitions it’s important for companies to really identify what they are wanting to get out of any training they are planning on running.
I’ve heard from delegates who have been sent on one of my trainings because their manager wants to get more out of them. This is great but if that person is already stretched and pushed to their limit, how effective will this be?
By sending the person on a resilience training course they believe they can further increase the pressure and the workload. However just like the elastic band there comes a point where every person will snap.
I look at resilience like a battery and equate it to energy. If we wake up in the morning full of energy (most rarely do), how can we keep that battery fully charged throughout the day, without it draining away and leaving nothing left in the tank.
If we look at a definition in the context of work:
‘An individual’s capacity to manage the everyday stress of work and remain healthy, rebound and learn from unexpected setbacks and prepare for future challenges proactively’. Kathryn McEwen
By looking at the above definition we can see that building resilience isn’t necessarily about picking up top tips and tools of the trade but something much deeper, about understanding who we are and noticing how things impact us. It’s a continuous process of development which only comes with awareness. This awareness is the reason why we might start to embrace a more mindful approach to our lives.
If you are looking to build your own resilience or looking at how to increase the resilience within your team or organisation, make sure you understand what it is and more importantly what it isn’t.
Yes, there are tools which will help with the easing of stress but how can we think more longer term?
It takes becoming aware of ourselves and that takes work, practise and dare I say it persistence.
If you can understand what resilience is then you can see the benefits on how it might help to improve our mental health and how it might protect us from mental health issues starting to develop.
Increasing our resilience can help us grow and enable us to cope with the everyday stressors that are all around us.
It can help us to negotiate change in our lives and make these changes more manageable.
How many people have for instance been running late due to a delayed train? What impact does that have on us and how does that impact us for the rest of the day? What can happen to our energy levels as we face the inevitable challenges throughout the day?
Hopefully you can see how becoming more aware of our thoughts and thinking can help us to negotiate all the stresses and challenges that life throws at us.
For more information on our resilience training please contact me via LinkedIn. Our training is face to face but also now via online webinars.
In a time when the world is responding to increased adversity, what can we do to help protect ourselves and our colleague’s wellbeing?
