RESILIENCY ~ the ability to weather life’s storms with relative steadiness, the ability to “bounce back.”
According to the APA, resiliency is “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress.” We all could benefit from tending to our resiliency gardens right now.
A resiliency researcher (Wong, 2012) pointed to the multi-dimensional nature of resiliency. He identified five major categories that we can use to cultivate resilience. Cornell Health outlines six aspects to resilience.
– Cognitive: How events are interpreted (cognitive style, appraisal, attribution) and how daily stressors and life circumstances are negotiated (coping)
– Behavioral: Habits of persistence and endurance in face of obstacles and failures (behavioral practice and reinforcement)
– Motivational: Clear sense of life purpose and commitment (will to live)
– Existential/spiritual: Sense of larger purpose and meaning of human life (meaning and life purpose)
– Relational: Sense of social connectedness, engagement, and altruism
– Emotional: Ability to tolerate negative emotions and rejection and to maintain emotional confidence and hopefulness (emotion regulation, emotional intelligence)
Consider the cognitive component of resilience. What stories are you telling yourself? What narratives are captivating your attention and running like weeds through the garden of your mind? Discover if there are interpretations, shoulds, injunctions or other stories inhibiting the growth of resilience like kudzu strangling a daisy.
