Resilience is the dynamic interaction between perceived risk and an individual’s coping skills. It determines their ability to adapt to adversity and thrive in everyday life. Workpartners’ LifeSolutions EAP Services offers a robust nationwide network and extensive resources that help your teams become more resilient, flexible, and productive, while also lowering your company’s total health liability.
How Resilience Shapes Us
Resilience is about more than the exact hardship that a person experiences, but also the situation they find themselves in. Resilience is highly impacted by how you perceive the risk you’re faced with. For example, most employees quarantined during the COVID-19 outbreak, but many have felt comfortable re-engaging with the world at their own pace. Others perceived more of a risk, and so their experiences differ.
A person can feel resilient enough to face the public but overwhelmed standing too close to a stranger. It all depends on personal levels of resilience and the levels of stress you experience leading up to a particular event. It’s important to forgive yourself for actions that otherwise may seem difficult to understand.
Facing the world as it is can be difficult and working through it one step at a time is vital to maintaining resiliency. The situations you experience play a fundamental role in determining how resilient we feel. Understanding this can bring peace of mind and the strength to overcome stressful environments.
Resilience determines our ability to adapt to adversity and allows us to thrive in everyday life. When we are in our toughest moments—our times of highest stress or crisis—that’s the time to tap into our resiliency to get through. While you may feel resilient much of the time, hardship shapes us all in different ways.
Cultivating Resilience: Coping in Stressful Times
At any given moment, you have the POWER to say, “This is NOT how the story is going to end.” You have a reservoir of resilience through your story and your experiences. Tap into this in your toughest moments, and practice gratitude for enduring them.
People in crisis tend to disconnect from themselves, and in turn, their resilience. What does that look like? It’s the feeling of not wanting to get out of bed and not wanting to go on. Of not wanting to go to work or even make a meal. It’s ignoring a phone call from a concerned friend. It’s very important to be aware of those negative feelings because if you’re able to recognize them, it’s easier to step in and address them.
You can learn to thrive in stressful situations, not just survive. Take some time to consider what your resilient attributes are. Pay attention to the coping tools you're utilizing to get through the toughest times in life and note them down. It's important to acknowledge that we possess these resilient qualities. We can tap into them when they’re most needed, but also use them to thrive during moments of minor stress.
Resilience doesn't just happen. If you want to be your most resilient self, it's going to take a little bit of effort on your part. It doesn’t have to be hard, but it is a conscious effort to stay strong in the face of adversity. It's highly important that we don't think about resilience as a purely passive process, or that we can just sit back and hope for the best. Anyone can cultivate their resilience with time, energy, and effort.
Replenishing Mind, Body, and Spirit
Coping with change isn’t always easy, but knowing your stress reactions, giving yourself space, and just letting your body do its job can make big improvements to your overall health.
Healthy ways to replenish your mind, body, and spirit:
- Practicing mindfulness
- Exercising
- Playing with your pets
- Exploring nature
- Reading a book
- Listening to music or podcasts
- Journaling
- Creating or enjoying art
- Taking a walk
By making habits out of these activities, you can regain control over your resilience. You’ll slowly build a bastion of emotional stability that can withstand even the most stressful situations. The world may not be within your control, but your coping skills and healthy habits are. With regular effort, you’ll soon find yourself able to handle far more adversity than in the past.
Forming a Motivating Mindset
By resetting our personal goals, reflecting on our progress, and navigating hardships, we can develop a motivating mindset. That mindset says, “I don't like this, it’s hard, I wish I didn't have to experience this—but I'm going to push it through and do what’s needed to reach my goals.” The path to achieving this mindset is different for everybody. For many, it's finding strength in their family and loved ones. Others find it through their work or hobbies they find fulfilling.
Coping with hardship and dealing with stress and anxiety is different for everyone. It’s crucial to find the outlet that works best for you and your lifestyle and find peace and balance in your mental health.
How Workpartners Can Help
Workpartners has helped workplaces of all sizes and in all industries make the most of their employees’ physical and emotional health.
Learn how to turn your workplace into a well-place with our Employee Assistance Program services by getting in contact today or calling 1-866-229-3507.
About the Webinar
For more insights, watch our webinar on Resilience: Finding Hope in Hardship
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