A simple yet effective approach to learning skills in becoming more resilient, is to break the concept down into five key areas according to a Thought-Behaviour Map.
This enables indviduals to work on making a variety of bite-sized, yet highly effective changes within each area of the map, which reinforce each other and markedly increase overall resilience as a positive cycle:
Resilient Thoughts and Attitudes (performance enabling thinking styles) such as:
- Retaining high standards yet avoiding the pitfalls of rigid perfectionism
- Willingness to endure and survive hardships in service of a greater goal (big picture thinking)
- Sense of humour (correlates with mental flexibility and an ability to see problems from more - than one perspective)
- Keeping a realistic perspective; being willing to accept and face reality, even when less than ideal
- Finding meaning and values; engagement in work
- A healthy self-esteem not wholly reliant on continued input or praise rom others
Resilient Actions and Behaviour including:
- Ability to improvise and be flexible, use of problem-solving strategies
- Seeking help where appropriate
- Use of effective, calm and clear interpersonal communication strategies
- Avoiding unhelpful methods of coping with stress (e.g. overly aggressive behaviour or complete denial).
Resilient Emotional Responses including:
- Emotional intelligence with good awareness, insight and understanding of own emotional responses without being dominated by them
- Keeping emotional responses balanced (e.g. disappointment rather than despair, concern rather than blind panic)
Resilient Physical Condition
- Maintaining physical health and fitness
- Effective management of physical health problems or illness
Resilience-Promoting Environment
- Supportive relationships at work and at home (colleagues, family, friends)
- A workplace structure which binds the workforce together and gives individuals something to hold onto in times of difficulty
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