What is Resilience?

Resilience is defined as the ability of an individual to cope with stress and adversity. There are many ways to improve resilience. It is best understood as a process rather than as a characteristic or personality trait. Developing coping skills, having supportive friends, having a mentor or supportive family members, being actively involved in the community, your spiritual beliefs and access to schools and services all help an individual develop or maintain resilience. By developing your resilience, you are better equipped to handle life's ups and downs and are better prepared for life's bigger challenges.

Ways to Improve Resilience:

• Express Gratitude:  Keep a gratitude journal in which you focus on five things you are grateful for. Examples include: a roof over your head, people who care about you, a job, a beautiful tree, etc.
• Acknowledge your Strengths: Know what your strengths are. Think about what you are good at or what you often get complimented on. Ask people you care about what they think your strengths are.  Are you grateful, curious, able to love and be loved, good at cooking, funny, able to make things, able to sing, willing to try new things? Are you willing to develop new strengths?
• Focus on the Good: Are you able to enjoy a positive moment?  Do you notice and take pleasure in the small things that occur in your daily life?  Practicing mindfulness can go a long way in developing resilience. By simply paying attention to and appreciating things that are occurring around you, you will be better equipped to handle life's challenges and be happier overall.