Resilience

We will all face struggles throughout out lives. It’s unavoidable. How we deal with those struggles is key to our wellbeing. When we go through a period of adversity, when our stress increases, it’s normal to experience feelings of anger, hurt, sadness or pain. Resilience is about how we keep functioning through these periods of struggle. It’s not about putting on a brave face, or putting up with adversity and just fighting through.

It's also important to recognise that being resilient doesn’t mean you don’t experience stress, discomfort or suffering. Resilient people still have struggles. But resilient people are able to work through the emotional impacts of their struggles.

Reaching out for support is a key part of resilience – knowing that we don’t have to face struggles on our own. It requires vulnerability, and a psychologically safe environment.

There is a perception that resilience is an inherent trait – we are either born with it or not. But the research is pretty clear that’s not the case. In fact, one of the most important factors in shaping resilience is the quality of close personal relationships, particularly with parents and primary caregivers.