Build Your Resources for Resiliency
Our Journey Toward Resilience
According to Chief Behavioral Scientist Gabe De LaRosa, one way to think about resilience is like putting air in a basketball. If you’re resilient, when you hit the ground, you bounce. When you’re not, you go “splat.” Some refer to resilience as the ability to bounce back from stress and adversity. Gabe encourages us to “bounce forward” from our experiences, internalize the lessons learned, and increase our resilience for the future.
As we aspire to build resilience in others, we must ensure we work on building resilience as a team.
People with psychological resilience are able to use their skills and strengths to respond to life’s challenges, which can include those related to:
- death of a loved one
- divorce
- financial issues
- illness
- job loss
- medical emergencies
- natural disasters
Instead of falling into despair or hiding from issues by using unhealthy coping strategies, resilient people face life’s difficulties head-on. We hope to impart resilience to the individuals we help every day through our programs and services.
We will continue to weave resilience into our mission, vision, and values. As we make progress, we’ll continue to share what we’ve learned, and we hope you will continue supporting us through this evolution.
Characteristics of Resilient People
People with resilience do not experience less distress, grief, or anxiety than other people do. Instead, they use healthy coping skills to handle such difficulties in ways that foster strength and growth, often emerging stronger than they were before.
Resilience is the result of a complex series of internal and external characteristics, including genetics, physical fitness, mental health, and environment. (see attachment)
Resilient people often have a number of different characteristics that help them weather life’s challenges. Some of the signs of resilience include:
- A survivor mentality: When people are resilient, they view themselves as survivors. They know that even when things are difficult, they can keep going until they make it through.
- Effective emotional regulation: Resilience is marked by an ability to manage emotions in the face of stress. This doesn’t mean that resilient people don’t experience strong emotions such as anger, sadness, or fear. It means that they recognize those feelings are temporary and can be managed until they pass.
- Feeling in control: Resilient people tend to have a strong internal focus of control and feel that their actions can play a part in determining the outcome of events.
- Problem-solving skills: When problems arise, resilient people look at the situation rationally and try to come up with solutions that will make a difference.
- Self-compassion: Another sign of resilience is showing self-acceptance and self-compassion. Resilient people treat themselves with kindness, especially when things are hard.
- Social support: Having a solid network of supportive people is another sign of resilience. Resilient people recognize the importance of support and knowing when they need to ask for help.
Make an impact in the lives of others.
