Have you ever wondered why certain people are able to stay calm when faced with a catastrophe or difficult situation, whereas other simply fall to pieces? Those who are able to maintain their composure demonstrate what psychologists refer to as resilience—the ability to deal with problems and with failure. Resilient individuals are able to use their skills and strengths to face problems and challenges head on and recover well once these situations have subsided.
Some people are just naturally able to do this. They have certain personality traits that help them remain undeterred by such challenges. At the same time, these behaviours are not simply innate abilities found in a chosen few. According to experts, resilience is a common trait that everyone has access to. Essentially, everyone is capable of learning how to become more resilient.
Below are 7 characteristics shared by resilient people. See if you can identify which of these characteristics you already possess, and to what extent
1. They know their limits
Resilient people are capable of establishing their limits. They know themselves, they recognize their strengths and weaknesses.
2. They take care of themselves
They take care of their mental and physical health, they get enough sleep, eat well, exercise and do activities that allow them to escape their everyday routine.
3. They have a support network
They surround themselves with key resource people, including friends and family members as well professionals such as coaches, therapists and colleagues that they trust.
4. They work on building their emotional intelligence
They are able to recognize their emotions and know how to cope with them without being completely controlled by them. They have specific strategies for managing and handling their emotions.
5. They are able to live with a certain level of uncertainty
They don’t need to have all the answers. They are able to function and adjust despite this lack of information.
6. They take action
They are not paralyzed when faced with difficult situations. They gather all of the information they need, set specific objectives and establish a plan of action. They know how to take calculated risks. In most cases, having a vague plan is better than having no plan at all and failing to take action.
7. They are able to adapt
They are capable of looking at a situation from different angles and distinguishing things that can be changed from those that cannot.
If you possess many of these characteristics, chances are you have the ability to bounce back more easily when you go through difficult situations. If you lack certain characteristics, however, you may very well also lack resilience. In the latter case, make note of those characteristics that you need to work on in order to develop the resilience you need to face the challenges that are part of everyday life.
Want to learn more about resilience? Join me for the Handle Change with Resilience course (CH153) at Technologia.
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