The meaning of resilience comes from physics, which means the ability of a material to return to its original state after suffering some deformation. In the field of Psychology, it refers to people’s ability to overcome obstacles, reacting positively.
Resilience is directly linked to mental health , since to be resilient you need to have good psychological conditions to not let yourself get discouraged in the face of adversity .
Next, better understand the meaning and importance of resilience in your personal and professional life. Also learn about the characteristics of a resilient person and how to put this ability into practice. Check out!
What is resilience?
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), resilience is the result of good adaptation to adversity, trauma, tragedies, threats or major stressful situations. It’s about being able to overcome problems with positivity, learning lessons from difficulties.
This way, we can face problems and move forward stronger. But to do this, you need to have mental, behavioral and emotional flexibility.
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What are the main types of resilience?
This concept can be classified into different types. However, the main ones refer to emotional, academic and social aspects.
Emotional resilience
This type of resilience refers to the ability to understand and control feelings and emotions in situations of crisis, stress or pressure.
According to scientific evidence published in the American Journal of Health and Lifestyle , emotional resilience is fundamental to physical and mental well-being.
This is because the difficulty in controlling emotions can cause illnesses and physical changes. An example of this is the case of emotional allergies that can arise in situations of stress or anxiety.
Academic resilience
Academic resilience concerns the ability to withstand pressures, such as meeting tight deadlines or having a lot to study in a short time.
Social resilience
Social resilience is related to the ability to deal more easily with social conflicts, without dwelling on problems for a long time.
Who is resilient Person?
Being a resilient person means being able to face crises, traumas, challenges, problems, great losses and transformations, without letting yourself get discouraged.
In addition to enduring and overcoming problems, resilient people learn from challenges. To do this, it uses flexibility to adapt and creativity to find alternative solutions.
How important is it to be resilient?
The importance of being resilient is evident from its meaning: it is being able to overcome obstacles while maintaining control of your emotions. Therefore, it is essential to guarantee physical and mental well-being in adverse situations.
Furthermore, resilience provides benefits such as:
- personal and professional growth;
- ease in overcoming barriers;
- better quality of life at work and in social relationships.
How do I know if I’m resilient?
To know if you are a resilient person, simply analyze your emotional skills and competence. In general, people with resilience have the following characteristics in common:
- self-esteem /self-confidence — recognize and appreciate their own abilities to face and solve problems;
- creativity — “think outside the box” to face challenges and develop positive solutions;
- empathy — they are able to communicate reciprocally, understanding the other;
- ease of solving problems — they have knowledge and strategies to solve different situations and overcome challenges;
- flexibility — adapt easily to new situations, relationships and challenges;
- ability to deal with emotions — they can calmly face stressful and high-pressure situations;
- locus (position) of internal control — they believe that many things depend on them to work out;
- optimism — they are always certain that everything can improve;
- persistence — they have willpower and clear ideas about what they want, persisting to achieve their goals.
What is resilience at work?
The meaning of resilience at work is the ability that companies and employees have to overcome problems with positivity. It is the ability to learn from challenges and be able to see opportunities in the midst of adversity.
In this sense, this concept is essential for well-being at work , contributing to creative solutions and a good organizational climate.
How to be more resilient in your personal life and at work?
Developing resilience in personal life and work is a unique journey for each person. To do this, it is necessary to strengthen specific qualities and manage emotions, which can vary from one individual to another.
This is why some people suffer from depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress when faced with negative situations, while others do not.
Although there is no ready-made formula for being more resilient, there are ways to improve it. Next, see what you can do to improve this aspect.
Accept that changes are part of life
It is important to recognize that life is made up of different stages, being a natural way for things to happen. As it is not possible to avoid changes, it is essential to have flexibility and be open to new possibilities.
Learn lessons from situations experienced
Errors and difficult situations are part of our learning for personal and professional growth. Therefore, instead of regretting them, it is important to extract lessons that they can bring, with positive thinking.
Focus on your goals and objectives
Focusing on goals and objectives helps build resilience, since to achieve them we need to face obstacles. This way, we can control our emotions and see solutions.
Work on your flexibility
Flexibility helps a lot to deal with conflicts and solve routine work problems. To improve this characteristic, it is necessary to adapt to situations that arise and see them from different perspectives.
Avoid a sedentary lifestyle
According to the Ministry of Health , excessive sedentary behavior is highly harmful to physical and mental health. In this sense, recent studies confirm the correlation between low emotional resilience and a behavioral sedentary lifestyle.
Therefore, to increase resilience, it is important to reduce the time we spend sitting and increase the time spent exercising.