Some people are able to cope better during stressful situations while others struggle. But over time, anyone has the chance to learn and develop resilience. The article helps identify traits or characteristics that promote resilience.
What is Resilience?
Resilience is a person’s ability to bounce back from stressful or challenging experiences. It is a process where an individual navigates and negotiates with the resources in their environment in order to cope and thrive through various life challenges.
Resilience can reduce the impact that these events have on lives and the time taken to recover from them. It does not mean that realities are ignored, nor feelings and emotions shut out, but rather experience of disappointment, sadness, anger or grief is accepted, and proper perspective is maintained with a sense of hopefulness as life continues.
Internal Traits That Promote Resilience
Internal traits or characteristics are things within a person’s control to develop. Each one will find that particular strategies may work better than others since building resilience is an individual journey. Some of these internal traits include:
- Ability to be flexible during times of change
- Ability to experience and manage negative emotions side by side with positive ones in a constructive way
- Capacity to make realistic goals and stick to them
- Good communication and problem-solving skills
- Feeling of optimism and positivity about the present and future
- Positive sense of confidence in developing one’s abilities and strengths
- Sense of purpose and meaning in life
How people cope depends on individual factors and experiences. Some of them people have less control over – like genetics, personality, ethnicity, and economic background. Life story can also play a part, including family history, previous physical and mental health issues, social and cultural experiences and how a person was able to cope with stresses in the past.
External Traits That Promote Resilience
Reaching out to others matters. Being resilient does not mean being standoffish or “going it alone.” A person’s internal strengths can benefit from external support. Some of these external characteristics include:
- Caring and supportive relationships
- Opportunities whereby other people benefit from the use of internal strengths, and vice-versa
- Sense of belonging, trust, and security within family, friends, workplace, school and community
- Service providers who are available and supportive
- Strong role models within and outside family and friends
Some experts suggest that we can have a powerful effect on our resilience by combining perhaps three of the external strengths in creative ways. For example, friends at work, a community social group and game of skills can be combined to form a tennis or bowling team from work. This can affect internal traits, such as building positive self-belief, relating to other people, confidence in one’s abilities, and a sense of purpose.
By taking advantage of these internal and external traits or characteristics that promote resilience, people are able to cope with life changes or crisis, bounce back from stress or difficulties, and accept experiences with a positive outlook.
Source:
2010 Fact Sheet: Mental Health Association. Sydney, Australia.
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