What is resilience and how can you apply it in your life?

• Are you resilient? Learn everything about this concept.
• Although most people consider themselves resilient, who really is?
• Discover how resilience can help you in daily life.

What is resilience? Surely you have heard about this concept, especially when it comes to mental health. Now is the time to take a deeper look at how resilience can be built and used to improve your daily life.

According to a survey conducted by Ohio State University, at least 83% of American adults consider themselves to have high levels of resilience. However, in a proof to determine the veracity of these claims, it was found that only 57% of the people surveyed actually had a high level of resilience. Continue reading and discover what it is, how to promote it and the benefits you will get from it.

What is resilience?

What is resilience? According to the American Psychological Association (APA), this concept is defined as the process of adapting to challenging situations. It is necessary to develop skills, behaviors and strategies to deal with problems, whether they come from from an internal or external source.

In general terms, resilience is the ability to process difficulties, find a way to cope with them and, once they have passed, recover mentally and emotionally from their consequences to lead a balanced life.

How can you promote it?

According to the resilience theory, there are different ways in which a person can build this skill. One of them has to do with the way in which you view and relate to the world. Another, has to do with the accessibility of resources that will help you face challenges. Finally, you can adopt specific adaptation strategies to face your problems.

Resilience is is not only about processing challenges internally, it also has to do with having the ability to request help from others and make use of the tools available to recover the physical and mental balance that has been affected by a challenging event. One way to build resilience is to create connections with people, engage in recreational activities, practice gratitude and try to look at situations from a positive perspective even when it seems difficult.

Benefits of taking care of your mental health

Now that you know what resilience is, it’s a good time to learn about its greatest benefits. According to a study published by Harvard University, resilience is associated with a general reduction in stress, depression, and a greater sense of satisfaction as a result of greater control over mental health. This allows you to face situations, ask for help and increase your optimism despite difficulties.

Practicing resilience is a process that usually has great benefits for your health by acquiring strategies to cope with daily challenges. You can reduce stress levels and increase productivity, not only at work but in every aspect of life.

Different types of resilience

What is resilience and how many types are there? The scientific community has classified resilience into three categories: Physical, mental and emotional. The first one refers to the adaptation mechanisms that are put into practice when a person suffers of some type of illness or accident that interferes with their quality of life.

Mental resilience focuses on acquiring skills to propose solutions to challenging situations, and emotional resilience focuses on developing adaptation mechanisms to face emotions like anger, sadness, or fear so that their impact does not affect your general health. Remember that if you feel depressed or suffer from anxiety, it is best to seek professional help.