WHAT IS RESILIENCE?
DEVELOPING RESILIENCE
We cannot always control what happens to us but we can control how we think and respond. It is not just about ‘thinking positive’; it’s about recognising our responses & developing “flexible thinking”.
- Testing negative thoughts & predictions – when/if we have a strong reaction to something – we need to pay attention to our thoughts and find ways to respond differently.
- Analysing our thoughts (thinking errors) – Is our thinking helpful or not? If not, can we see it differently? This is called ‘flexible thinking’.
According to research conducted by a leading psychologist, Susan Kobasa, there are three elements that are essential to resilience:
Another leading psychologist, Martin Seligman, says the way that we explain setbacks to ourselves is also important. He talks in terms of optimism and pessimism rather than resilience; however, the effect is essentially the same. This ‘explanatory style’ is made up of three main elements:
In an Interview with Dr. Cal Crow, the Co-Founder and Programme Director of the Center for Learning Connections, Dr. Crow identified several further attributes that are common in resilient people:
How the way we view adversity and stress strongly affects how we succeed, and this is one of the most important reasons why having a resilient mindset is so important.
The fact is that we are going to fail sometimes. It is an inevitable part of life. We make mistakes and occasionally fall flat on our faces. The only way to avoid this is to live a shuttered and meagre existence, never trying anything new or taking a risk and I am sure a few of us want a life like that.
