What is resilience?

Adversity, trauma, tragedy, stress – these are experiences that are becoming increasingly frequent in today’s past face and complex world. Couple this with the constant pressure to show that you are in control, you can handle it all and your life is as perfect as your neighbour’s Facebook post. The result is stress is beginning to have a negative impact on the quality of your life.

That being said, the picture isn’t so bleak. You can adapt well in the face of stressful circumstances. You can bounce back from stress and the process of doing so is what is call resilience.

On the face of it, resilience may seem like a quality that you either have or don’t have. However, research shows otherwise. Resilience involves becoming aware of thoughts and emotions and learning skills to optimize them – all of which can be learnt at any point of time in your life.

Developing resilience also does not mean that you will never feel sad, anxious or fearful. Being resilient means having the capacity to navigate the difficult times and emerging stronger and victorious.