The global pandemic named Covid-19 has cast some dark days and tough times in the globe. People have lost jobs, loved ones have died, and finances have dipped as families commit to seeking treatment for their infected members and friends. Others have had to bow to pay cuts at the workplace, notwithstanding the recurring financial demands- bills, fees, and daily living costs. Schools and colleges have not stopped charging fees- they have staff to retain despite school closures and of course there is the adjustment involved in making the switch to online learning. Suddenly a PC or a learning tool is a necessity for every student. Businesses have faced closures and office spaces have been vacated.

Some people seem very graced for the season, they are snapping right back after swaying under the weight. Some are are rethinking businesses and landing on new opportunities. Employers have started to seek employees for ‘remote working’ positions. For others however, confidence lies shattered, and they are sinking into panic and depression. In such times as now, resilience becomes critical and necessary. The good news is that resilience can be learned!

Defining Resilience:

The dictionary simply defines resilience as toughness, the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, while the Harvard Business Review defines it as the skill and capacity to be robust under conditions of enormous stress and change. (Review, 2010). The American Psychological Association (2014) defines resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress. (association, 2014), (SM Southwick, 2014).

You most likely have observed it all around you- some people suffer hard times in family, relationships, health, in the workplace or in their economic status, but seem to remain afloat and not falter. Some spring right back to confidence plateau soon after suffering a major setback, while others sink into depression and check out on life. Others throw up their hands in despair and ask why and how this is happening to them- adopting a victim mentality.

What really determines these responses to challenge that makes some bend, then bounce back like the indomitable palm trees, while others buckle and fall under the pressures? Resilience does it! It plays a significant role in a person’s mental health, and helps people recover from even the most brutal experiences.

Resilient people view setbacks as transitory- they are just passing through. They tend to see setbacks as opportunities for growth and have a high capacity to manage strong emotions and impulses. They usually acknowledge what is beyond their control, focusing on what they can control, never adopting a victim mentality. They develop a growth mindset that enables them to seek balance in all aspects of life and cultivate a positive outlook on the future.

Mental health encompasses many dimensions including resilience and the following are a few characteristics that resilient people exhibit at the workplace:

1.         Resilient people avoid adopting a victim mentality when hard times strike. They instead take on the season with the realization that it is possible to find meaning for themselves and for the others around them despite the tough times. This attitude can lead to new ideas of how to build bridges towards a better, fuller, future. Thus, instead of viewing the present situation as overwhelming, resilient people manage the present by finding purpose, setting some concrete goals, and searching for meaning in their hardship.

2.         Resilient people stay cool, maintain their composure. They calmly and soberly accept to take on the harsh realities facing them while maintaining an optimism that does not distort their sense of reality. They face reality of their hardship soberly instead of being in denial. This prepares them to proactively act in ways that set them up to succeed against the challenge at hand. They accept that the challenge at hand will have to run its course. They clearly know that though it may be time bound, it will still come to pass.

3.         Resilient people have an ability to improvise, invent, imagine possibilities, and even put resources in some of the most unfamiliar uses, making do with whatever is at hand. A dose of humour is always welcome as it provides them with a critical sense of perspective in the face of adversity.

At Mind and Beyond Counseling Centre, our counselors support people to develop resilience to cope adaptively and bounce back after disappointments, major changes, failure, challenges, setbacks, or adversity. This results to a change in behaviour, thought, and action that allow clients to successfully recover from traumatic or stressful events in life.

References

1. Fig 1: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdepositphotos.com
2. Fig 2: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com
3. association, A. P. (2014). The Road to Resilience. In A. P. Association, The Road t Resilience. Washington DC.
4. Review, H. B. (2010) On Managing Yourself. Boston, Massachusetts: HBR Publishing.
5. SM Southwick. (2014). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4185134/.
6. William Bridges, P. w. (2016). Managing Transitions. In W. Bridges, Managing Transitions 4th Ed. Boston: Da Capo Press.