There are people who remain optimistic despite adverse circumstances and do not let setbacks knock them down permanently. They fall, but they get back up. Scientists have been calling this resilience for several years.
The bad news is: How optimistic and resilient you are depends largely on your upbringing and the environment in which you grew up. The infamous helicopter parents unfortunately do not produce resilient individuals. Future generations of psychotherapists can already look forward to a steady stream of clients.
The good news is: Even beyond the age of 20 or 30, we can train our resilience. Long-term studies with American soldiers have shown that simple tips, such as those from positive psychology pioneer Martin Seligman, actually help. One simply involves writing down three things each evening that went well that day. The goal of the exercise is to shift your focus.
[note note_color=”#e4e4e4″ text_color=”#333333″ radius=”3″] First Aid for the Psyche / Resilience Meets Corona.
We invite you to a free 40-minute webinar with our resilience expert Alexandra Trautmann. Inner strength and optimism are contagious—even online and virus-free. Join us and help make the best of the situation!
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5 Tips for Greater Resilience
The American Psychological Association has developed a 10-point plan based on Seligman’s programs. We have derived the following tips for you:
1. Analyze your social contacts. How are things with your family, partnership, and circle of friends? Do you have at least one true friend at work? Do you feel comfortable among your colleagues? If not, make sure it becomes that way!
2. Set concrete and realistic goals. Make sure they are truly your own goals.
3. Be active. The more chaotic, confusing, and seemingly externally controlled your work is, the more important it is to create small work packages that you complete one by one. This provides you with exactly those small successes that give you the good feeling in the evening of having accomplished something meaningful during the day.
4. Accept what you cannot change. The saying: “Lord, grant me the strength to change the things I can change, the humility to endure the things I cannot change, and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other” still holds true. Focus on what is within your control. The advantage: You receive direct feedback on your behavior and celebrate small successes.
5. Think positively. Difficult times, when much is changing in your organization, can also be an opportunity. A fresh start in a new department enables you to develop new skills and competencies or to start completely anew within the same company. Desired changes to your own personality are much easier to implement in a new environment. Because here, there is no one comparing your change with your previous behavior.
At a Glance
- Resilience is the ability to not be discouraged by adverse circumstances.
- The foundations for psychological resilience are laid in childhood.
- As an adult, you can foster resilience through simple means—for example, by nurturing social relationships, setting realistic goals, and ensuring small daily successes.
[note note_color=”#e4e4e4″ text_color=”#333333″ radius=”3″] First Aid for the Psyche / Resilience Meets Corona.
We invite you to a free 40-minute webinar with our resilience expert Alexandra Trautmann. Inner strength and optimism are contagious—even online and virus-free. Join us and help make the best of the situation!
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