No job is smooth sailing—you’ll have deadlines, tricky clients, office politics, and plenty of other headaches. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when things get tough, like you’re barely holding it all together. But there’s one quality that can help you handle these challenges with greater ease: resilience.
Resiliency means that you shouldn’t ignore the things that get to you, but you should be able to bounce back, regain your balance, and still be mentally strong. In this article, we’ll look at what resilience is, why it’s so important at work, and share some practical tips for growing your resilience muscles.
What Is Resilience? Why Is It Important?
Defining Resilience in Simple Terms
It is when things are tough you are able to adapt to adversity and move forward, it is resilience. Unbreakable is not the point, it’s about recovering from setbacks and learning from them. Think of resilience like a muscle: it gets stronger the more you use it.
Why Resilience Matters in the Workplace
There is plenty of things in the workplace to stress over. No matter what—whether a difficult project, a difficult colleague, or the unexpected—you’ll be able to stay on your toes and roll with it to make sure that your performance and your happiness stay front and center. Optimistic, persistent and adaptable, resilient people tend to thrive in high stress environments. If you’re resilient, you’re a lot more equipped to handle pressure and keep going forward.
Understanding the Characteristics of Resilient People
With that in mind, let’s take a look at what resilience looks like in action before getting into the strategies. Resilient people tend to share certain characteristics:
- Self-Awareness: They know their strengths and weaknesses and they have a realistic idea of who they are.
- Adaptability: They’ll adjust (and change) without panicking.
- Optimism: Instead of being an issue, they view it as an opportunity.
- Emotional Regulation: In high stress situations, they know how to manage their emotions.
- Problem-Solving Skills: They are calmly rational when they approach problems, seeking solutions, not problems.
If you see these things in yourself, then you’re on the right track. If you haven’t, don’t fret, these are learnable and trainable with practice.
Practical Strategies for Building Resilience
Are you ready to start creating your resilience? Below you will find some hands on techniques to fortify your strength and calm in the face of workplace challenges.
1. Embrace a Growth Mindset: See Challenges as Opportunities
What is a Growth Mindset?
The idea of a growth mindset is that you can develop your abilities, if you work hard and apply yourself. A phrase that comes to mind is it’s the idea that challenges are opportunities to learn and grow, not roadblocks.
How to Cultivate a Growth Mindset
- Reframe Challenges: Stop looking at problems as any reason to hang your head, instead see them as ways to learn.
- Reflect on Past Wins: Think back to past times of overcoming obstacles. Remind yourself that you have the same strengths you had, and you’ll need to use those same strengths again.
- Celebrate Progress: But in the case of a hard journey, acknowledge the small achievements that you make along the way.
It may take awhile to build a growth mindset, but the more you practice it, the more you’ll see challenges as stepping stones instead of setbacks.
2. Practice Mindfulness: Stay Grounded in the Present Moment
Why Mindfulness Helps with Resilience
Mindfulness brings you back to the oneness with life in the present moment, so you don’t get caught up in thoughts about the future, about what could happen, or caught up in regrets about things that happened in the past. Being mindful means you’re more likely to respond to stressful situations with calmness and clarity.
Simple Mindfulness Practices to Try
- Breathing Exercises: When things are very overwhelming, take some deep breaths. Ground yourself focusing on each inhale and exhale.
- Body Scan: Check in with your body for a moment. Do notice any areas of tension and attempt to release them.
- Mindful Walking: During a break, take a short walk and dedicate every thought to each step you take. Pay attention to the sensations around you.
Mindfulness can be a powerful method of resilience helping you respond thoughtfully, not react emotionally to stress.
3. Develop Emotional Intelligence: Manage Your Emotions Effectively
The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Resilience
Emotional intelligence (EI) is the capacity to relate to your emotions, as well as that of others. High EI people are better able to cope with life stress, and generally bounce back from hard times.
Steps to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence
- Self-Awareness: Be aware of your emotions, and know what they are a result of.
- Self-Regulation: Learn to react with a little bit of silence. Pause, take a breath, think, and respond accordingly, by your design.
- Empathy: Put yourself in others’ shoes. And it will help you to communicate better, reduce conflicts.
The more you can develop your emotional intelligence, the better you’ll be able to cope with stress and resolve workplace issues while having a clear, sensible head.
4. Strengthen Your Support Network: Don’t Go It Alone
Why Social Support is Key to Resilience
If resilience means something to you, it doesn’t mean finishing everything on your own. If you have friends, family, mentors, or colleagues, these people will be your strong support network; they will guide you, encourage you and give you a perspective of life on tough days.
Ways to Build and Lean on Your Support Network
- Build Relationships at Work: Spend time learning what people in your office do. However, when things hit a bump in the road, supportive relationships in the work place can make all the difference.
- Seek Mentorship: Connect with a mentor who can tell you what to do in situations and provide feedback on what you should be doing.
- Share Your Feelings: When you need to talk, don’t be afraid to reach out to others. Telling your miseries can relieve the burden, and you can get new views on it.
A support network doesn’t mean you’re weak, it means you have a resource to help you grow and thrive.
5. Set Realistic Goals and Prioritize Self-Care
The Importance of Goal-Setting and Self-Care
Realistic goals and self care are also important with resilient people. You can’t keep pushing yourself until you can’t push any further without burning yourself out. Achieving reachable goals and taking care of yourself (and vice versa) keeps you energized and motivated.
Tips for Setting Goals and Practicing Self-Care
- Break Down Goals: So don’t overwhelm yourself with big goals, break it down into smaller steps and achieve.
- Take Breaks: Allow yourself to rest and rebuilt. It will help you keep your energy in the short term by taking short breaks throughout the day.
- Prioritize Your Health: Exercise, eat well, and plenty of sleep. Your mind is only as strong as your body.
Taking care of yourself isn’t something you do if and when you have time. It’s a requirement. You’ll be better prepared for whatever life throws your way when you make your well being a priority.
6. Learn to Accept Change as Part of Life
Embracing Change for Greater Resilience
Life is one of the few constants to change. Resilient people know that change is an inevitable; and they transform rather than resist it. Accepting change allows you to become more flexible and welcoming of what’s next.
Steps to Accept and Adapt to Change
- Practice Flexibility: Try to be willing to try new approaches and new situations.
- Focus on What You Can Control: Instead of worrying about those things that you can’t control, concentrate your focus on areas where you can make a difference.
- Find Positives in Change: Look for growth in new situations. It’s often true that change brings new possibilities, even if it doesn’t seem that way at first.
And the more you accept change, the more you’ll become adaptable and resilient, and able to take whatever life throws at you.
The Benefits of Building Resilience at Work
As you begin building resilience, you’ll start to see improvements in your professional life. Here are some benefits you can expect:
Increased Productivity
Resilience enables you to remain focused and motivated even in facing challenges. It also means that you’re probably less likely to be derailed by stress or setbacks, and more productive.
Better Relationships with Colleagues
If you’re resilient, you’ve trained your mind to handle your emotions more effectively and this translates into healthier, more positive interactions with others. This can support teamwork and help make the work environment a more supportive place.
Greater Job Satisfaction
Those people who are more resilient in our society tend to be more satisfied with jobs because they know that stress is going to be there and how to handle the stress and the meaning of the job. They don’t get in the way of their overall goals and values.
Enhanced Personal Growth
Resilience building is a road trip to what is bigger than me. The more resilient you grow, the stronger you’ll be, the more self awareness you’ll have, and the more confident you’ll be in what you can and can’t do.
Final Thoughts: Let me tell you about the Journey in Building Resilience.
There’s no quick fix for resilience, it’s a skill that has to be built over time, practiced and developed with patience and lots of heart. It’s fine to be struggling or frustrated on the path; you’re not supposed to be perfect or unshakeable. It’s about getting up over and over again, and with a little more strength every time.
Do remember, however, that resilience is a journey … so practice the techniques. Whenever you overcome a setback, whenever you face a challenge, it adds to your strength, and prepares you for what is to come. Be kind to yourself and continue on the road; it’s worth it! Resilience is about living and thriving, not just surviving, you are learning to dance in the rain.
LekFex 