Struggling a bit? Four easy steps to build your resilience.
We get it. If there was ever a time when resilience was required, it’s, like, RIGHT NOW!
The world of work was already rapidly shifting before a pandemic completely blindsided the planet.
But the impact of COVID-19 has hyper-accelerated that shift as people, teams, projects and businesses frantically pivot to adopt distributed and digitised ways of working, and adapt to the new ‘normal’ and whatever lies beyond.
In this new VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) labour market and workforce, agility, creativity and adaptability have never been more important. And while that can be exciting and stimulating, the flip-side is that constant uncertainty and rapid change can also be pretty unnerving for a lot of us.
Plans made, subjects studied and hopes and aspirations long held may need to be changed, challenged, rejigged and reevaluated.
That’s where resilience comes in - a critical skill that helps you bounce back when things don’t go according to plan.
The Resilience Project
Laura Ng, of The Resilience Project founded by Hugh van Cuylenburg, says having resilience allows us to recover quickly when we are confronted with challenges.
“Resilience is the ability to bounce back when things go wrong. And having resilience allows us to recover quickly after we have gone through tough times,” she says.
Resilience is a personality trait that comes naturally to some people, but the good news is that it’s also a skill you can learn.
“Some people are naturally more resilient than others but it can definitely be an acquired skill. The earlier you can start practicing strategies that build resilience the better, as building resilience is a great early intervention tool to help maintain mental wellbeing,” Laura says.
While resilience is a great skill to have in all aspects of life, it is also particularly useful for people in job seeking or managing themselves in the workplace.
“When we are looking for work we potentially could be full of self-doubt as to whether we are capable of doing the roles we are applying for, and we all know about imposter syndrome!,” she says.
“Job seeking can be considered an area where our mental wellbeing could suffer as it can be a long and arduous process where we are likely to experience many rejections. But having resilience will enable us to navigate this and bounce back each time.”
How to Build Resilience in 4 Easy Steps
Laura says there are four key strategies to practice daily in building resilience: Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy.
Gratitude
Pay attention to the things that you have right now, and don’t worry about what you don’t have.
Practise this by noticing the positives that exist around you.
What were three things that went well for you today?
Who is someone you feel really grateful for today? Why?
What is it about your home that makes it home or feel like a special/family place?
What is something you are looking forward to tomorrow?
Empathy
Empathy is putting yourself in the shoes of others to feel and see what they do.
Practice this through being kind and compassionate towards other people.
For example;
Who is someone you know who may be experiencing difficulty currently? What could you do for them?
Remember someone who has done something kind for you recently. What did they do for you?
Think about those closest to you. What is something kind you could say to someone in your home?
Mindfulness
We all need to work on our ability to be calm and present at any given moment, no matter the circumstances.
Try and practice this through slowing down and concentrating on just one thing at a time as much as you can.
This could be by focusing on your breathing, completing a colouring sheet or even closing your eyes and noticing the noises you can hear, one by one.
How did you practice mindfulness today? (Try meditation, puzzles, spot the difference, colouring books).
What mindfulness activity are you going to do tomorrow?
What is your favourite mindfulness activity?
How do you feel after you do a mindfulness activity?
Emotional Literacy
Emotional Literacy is the ability to label our emotions as we experience them.
Labelling our emotions helps us to manage our emotions, by actively softening negative emotions and finding and focussing on positive emotions.
You can practice this by labelling your emotions as you experience different parts of your day.
To learn more about the remarkable work of The Resilience Project, visit their website. The Resilience Project delivers emotionally engaging programs to schools, sports clubs and businesses by providing practical, evidence-based mental health strategies to build resilience and happiness.