Having covered what resilience means and what it entails, we head into spring! The weather in South Africa got the memo (finally!) and we can see glimpses of summer and fresh beginnings.

We can now take a deeper dive into resilience as a skill an individual can learn, and how you and I can use this skill to empower ourselves and grow. With all the challenges life throws at us, we can be able to spring back into shape whenever the situation calls for it, personally or professionally.

 The ability to remain cool, calm, and collected under pressure is something everybody should seek to develop and improve. Right?

 Right.

So, let’s look at how you can develop your resilience muscle while we identify some other benefits associated with the trait. In this article we discuss the following:

1. Resilience as an individual, what should I care? What do I get from it?
2. Traits that resilient individuals have
3. How do you become more resilient?

What Do I Get From Being Resilient?

 As discussed in the previous piece, we can see that resilience is critical in dealing with unexpected changes, conflicts and situations of discomfort.

Suppose we want to become stronger and better versions of ourselves after dealing with impending change or adversity. In that case, it’s essential to start developing our ability to become more resilient.

 One of the most remarkable traits of developing this skill is being headstrong, stubborn and unwilling to give up on your dreams, goals, or ambitions. And carrying the strong-willed mindset of “anything is possible” means that you’re more committed, creative and potentially better at being a leader.

 

The book ‘Inside-Out’: The Practice of Resilience highlights a few key elements of resilience: Bounce, Courage, Connection and Creativity.

Bounce refers to our ability (or inability) to “bounce back”. Research has found that some people respond more practically and productively towards adversity, while others react in a more negative (and often damaging) way.

Resilient people tend to avoid blaming others and instead put their energy into finding solutions while constantly looking at the bigger picture. And in the presence of adversity or trouble, there’s far more introspection, acting towards a situation or outcome only when there’s a clear understanding of emotions and thoughts. By becoming more resilient, you retain more bounce.

Here are a few traits that are common with resilient individuals:

Courage talks about the way that we deal with resistance. When we deal with particular challenges or circumstances, we either engage or resist - it’s either fight or flight. Resistance usually means that we fear change and disruption to our comfort; whereas engagement takes courage to push further and adapt to the unknown.

 Being resilient means having the courage and belief in yourself to keep learning, growing and improving in any situation or environment. Being more courageous in your approach to life will increase your chances of success and mastery while improving your competence and confidence levels.

 Connection is another great trait that comes with resilience. Those who are resilient have a profound sense of connection (not only to themselves but also to family, friends, strangers, and even nature). It refers to underlying respect for all that exists, showing care and compassion towards anything and everything.

 With a healthy connection, you’re able to give and gain respect, acknowledgement and create a strong bond with yourself and others.

 Creativity is essential to the direction that our world is heading. Without imagination and the many different ways of solving problems, I think we can agree that everything would be pretty bland. Resilient people tend to be more creative and experimental in their approach to life and problem-solving. They are far better at expanding on their talents and skills - which opens more doors for possibilities and various options.

 It ultimately acts as a considerable contributor to solving problems more effectively, seeing the world differently and making practical changes that enhance the world we live in.

 

How Can I Become More Resilient?

 There are many ways to practice being more resilient, or at the very least, help you acknowledge your levels of resiliency when faced with specific situations.

 According to Verywell Mind, you can do certain things to help you foster resilience in yourself:

•  Learn to embrace change and engage in being more flexible, adaptable and receptive to events that could push you in a new direction, present you with new opportunities or alter your perspective on life—being resilient means seeing the opportunities and benefits in change. Try and do new things more frequently; read books, exercise, explore, get a pet - anything that will get you out of your comfort zone so that you’re always embracing change.
•  Be more optimistic when you’re dealing with inconveniences or dark times. Remaining optimistic about a bright and prosperous future will help you take control of any setbacks and push you to see how you can benefit or make a negative situation benefit you. You want to practice being more grateful for the things you have, be aware of any negative thoughts or emotions and consciously tweak them to see the good in the situation.
•  Find purpose in something to help combat crises or tragedies. Sometimes things happen that could either leave you struggling to recover or at a standstill in your life. By focusing on finding a purpose in life that has you fighting for a cause, you’ll be better equipped at dealing with adversity - especially if you’re fighting against the same hardship that put you there. Perhaps something has forced change on you in the past (obesity, abuse, sickness, disasters). What you could do is find a cause that helps prevent or protect against that circumstance.
•  Improve your problem-solving abilities, as it helps keep you at ease when obstacles, challenges or problems arise. If you’re calm-headed and analytical, always considering different outcomes and presenting workable solutions - then you’re able to deal with more considerable challenges when they arise. By finding new ways to practice problem-solving, you’re able to develop the skill, which adds to your resilience level. Develop your problem-solving abilities by playing games that exercise your logic, read more books to identify problems and the solutions that people come up with, and even playing some sport.

And there you have it.

 You can now remind yourself of the benefits of practising resilience and use some of these great methods to sharpen and strengthen that skill.

 

Change is inevitable. It will present itself whether you’re ready or not, so developing the skills to help you move forward and stay positive is essential to navigating through both your personal and professional life.

 This should get you on a clear path to thinking about your levels of resilience and what you could do to start developing this critical skill. In the following article, we will tackle how organisations can foster the resilience muscle in their employees by providing an environment that encourages resilience and celebrates it.

 

Change Agility offers several online courses on individual orientation to change and helping employees become change savvy - be sure to check them out! 

Book a quick 30-minute session here, or drop us an email at info@changegagility.co.za. We look forward to meeting you and your team!

 Tlale Mosimane, MD Change Agility (Pty)Ltd