How Do We Define Resilience?

By Hazel Sherin, LMFT-A

Is it something we’re born with, or is it a skill we have the ability to cultivate ourselves? 

Resilience is understood to be a person’s capacity “to adapt, to thrive in the face of adversity, and to bounce back from life’s challenges” (Reynolds 3rd, C. F. 2019). 

So, how do we become more resilient? 

Well, unfortunately, there’s no easy one-size-fits-all method for ‘obtaining’ resilience. BUT there are many ways we can go about shifting the way we experience stress and approach situations with more versatility to increase our resiliency. 

Here are some tangible steps to building resilience and strengthening skills you already likely possess. 

● Strengthening your support system and nurturing close relationships 

● Finding a community that helps you feel supported and participating in activities that bring you a stronger sense of purpose. 

● Leaning into one’s spirituality or faith (if applicable) 

● Practicing self-care and self-compassion 

And Lastly… 

Psychotherapy can offer us a space that is safe and conducive to unlearning rigid beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world. By engaging in the process of collaborative self-exploration, we can adopt and integrate new perspectives, and develop a balanced outlook on life. For example, we can adjust how we interpret negative experiences, and gain confidence through processing tough life events. Increasing emotional durability sometimes takes practice; but exercising and strengthening this muscle can remind us that we are inherently robust, and thus, capable of overcoming painful events, and even accepting the reality of circumstances we can’t change.

References Reynolds 3rd, C. F. (2019). Building resilience through psychotherapy. World Psychiatry, 18(3), 289.