By: SOS International
One word that carries a lot of weight here at SOS is “Resilience.” Resilience comes from the Latin word “To rebound” or “recoil” and is defined as “the personal qualities that enable one to thrive in the face of adversity.” Resilience is the capacity to deal with change and continue to develop, being able to get back up again and keep going. A resilient person is a person able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions or changes. Resilient people are admired for their tenacity, grit, and bravery, just to name a few qualities.
Resilience is a skill that is developed. We believe everyone should aim to learn and cultivate resilience as individuals and communities. Here are six qualities that we have observed in resilient people.
1. They are flexible
To become resilient, one must overcome significant challenges and have the need to persevere. Resilient individuals are skilled in adapting to change and bouncing back from difficulties. Through these challenges, they learn the gift of flexibility. Being flexible is crucial because change is inevitable, and its impact on our lives is unpredictable.
2. They have a positive outlook
Many have faced situations that would entitle them to take the posture of a victim. The path of resilience throws off a victim mentality and forges a view of the future full of faith and hope for what is to come. Resilient people are empowered with the incredibly strategic tool of gratitude, which frees their hearts for the journey, helping them to rise above opposition and challenge. Positivity in all circumstances is not always easy, but resilience rooted in gratitude allows people to choose a positive outlook.
3. They have emotional Intelligence and regulation
Good emotional intelligence and regulation help us to navigate the challenge of building and growing resilience. Emotionally aware people intentionally allow their thinking and behavior to guide their emotions rather than allowing emotions to take the lead. By taking the time to cultivate empathy, compassion, self-awareness, active listening, renewing our minds, and becoming lifelong learners, we are empowered to navigate the challenges in front of us.
4. They embrace and build community
Trauma researcher Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D., said, “Social support is the most powerful protection against becoming overwhelmed by stress and trauma.” The situations and circumstances that require resilience are best walked through inside a community. We find strength through embracing solid social networks, cultivating close relationships, maintaining communication, learning to be vulnerable and loving diversity. Through building these skills in our communities, we can embrace and create a beautiful, dynamic community to see us through the storms of life. Having a strong community helps us gain a better perspective on our circumstances. Community varies for each individual. It could be a group of people with shared interests, a faith group, close friends, classmates, coworkers, or neighbors you have a strong bond with.
5. They are good at problem-solving
Throughout life, we will face many challenges that require well-used tools to navigate. One of the themes we find with resilient individuals is they develop healthy and robust ways of problem-solving. Problem-solving includes defining and analyzing a problem, finding and evaluating options, making decisions, taking action, reflecting, and learning from the problem-solving process. By incorporating these principles in your approach to challenges, you are equipped to face problems with resilience and learn to develop sound solutions.
6. They practice healthy disciplines
The concept of resilience implies challenges, obstacles, or circumstances walked out over time. As individuals, to sustain the strength to walk this road, we must integrate healthy disciplines that guide and guard us. These disciplines include rest, diet, and exercise, ensuring that we seek counsel and have good coaches, worship, instructors, counselors, and people in our corner encouraging us to be healthy. These disciplines are not easy, but walking them out over time yields tremendous results and equips you to face life with greater resilience.
