To be at our best, we must be flexible, withstand challenges, overcome disappointment, bounce back from setbacks, and persevere in the face of obstacles.  In other words, we must teach ourselves to be as resilient as possible in the face of whatever life throws our way. Nurturing resiliency in ourselves is about increasing our ability to weather change. This includes major life changes, both positive and negative, as well minor disruptions that may occur throughout each and every day. Taking action to become more resilient is one way – and many believe the most effective way – to improve our own overall mental health and well-being. Read on to learn more about why it’s important to be resilient.

Why It’s Important to Be Resilient

Something as simple as an unexpected traffic jam can cause major changes to our day.

Larger stuff, like the loss of a job or a sudden, unanticipated end to a relationship can create significant disruption to almost every aspect of our lives – how we pay the bills, where we live, or who we spend our time with.

Even more devastating can be the onset of a chronic or deadly illness or the death of someone close to us.

Whether a disruption to our lives is large or small, the consequences to our mental and physical health can be severe. We must ask ourselves:

• When these things happen, how well do we cope?
• How quickly do we adapt?
• Are we able to easily “bounce back”?
• Do we understand the bright side of whatever obstacle has been thrown in our path?

Resilient people are able to bounce back more quickly and with less stress than others.

And since we all face minor and major stresses frequently, becoming more resilient can bring benefit to our overall happiness and well-being.

Why It’s Important to Be Resilient: Situations That Require Us to be Flexible

Situations that require people to be resilient are varied, frequent and complicated. As a comparison, buildings must be built in such a way as to adapt to, recover from, and withstand extreme floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes that come from time to time.

People have to survive these events when they happen, too, but people also must cope with multiple unexpected challenges, sometimes even in the space of one interaction or conversation.

And those unexpected developments vary so much.

Why It’s Important to Be Resilient

Scientists have concluded these things have a positive correlation to strong resiliency:

• Being part of a tight-knit community of some kind.
• Having a strong role model who is resilient.
• Our own beliefs regarding how resilient we are. For example, if we have a strong belief in our own ability to cope and problem solve, we are more likely to bear difficult situations or setbacks better. We also recover from them more rapidly. And we are more likely to consider failures or mistakes as positive learning experiences.
• Exercising regularly also promotes resiliency. Does this one surprise you? Read on.

How Exercise Helps Us Be More Resilient

This last one warrants a little explanation. Why should exercise make us more resilient to change?

According to the research, this may be partly because exercise promotes development of new neurons.

Some believe this connection is tied to what we needed to survive in prehistoric times. Our original neural pathways developed from the ‘fight or flight’ response that arose when we were trying to flee wild animals.

This response was essential for survival, then.

However, this response to stimulus is only effective when it occurs periodically.

Because if we stay in fight or flight mode too long or too often, it damages us.

It is, in fact, the opposite of being resilient – it is more akin to panic.

So how does this tie to exercise?

When we exercise, we develop new neural pathways. These create choices; an alternative to ‘fight or flight’. Not sure I got all the science right, but you get the idea.  Exercise is good.  And it helps make us more resilient.

Why It’s Important to Be Resilient

Other ways to be more resilient include:

1. It helps to know our own core values that nothing can compromise. Our own internal moral code. The lines we will never cross. Believe in them, never let them go.
2. When tragedy strikes, we must seek to find meaning in it. This is tremendously difficult. Some are strong enough to do this. Others are not.
3. Keep learning. Scientists have proven that people who seek out and do new things are more resilient. My guess is that this is because when we try new things, we often fail. And like anything else, we get better at failing the more we do it. Failing well is almost better than succeeding! We come away with lessons and grow. And we become more resilient in the face of failure, a critical life skill.
4. It can be useful to have a heart to heart with ourselves and identify the qualities that make us unique and strong.  We must embrace our strengths and incorporate them as part of our identity.  We are each stronger than most at many things – we just need to take a bit of time to figure out what.
5. We must be willing to and actively seek support whenever we need it.  This is a sign of strength, and also a habit that makes us stronger.  Admitting when we need help means we are strong enough to be vulnerable.  Don’t try to go it alone.

Do you now understand why it’s important to be resilient?

Please comment and share your thoughts. And if you enjoyed this post, please share it with others.

Thank you as always for reading.

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KindCompassCoach

Joan Senio is the founder of KindCompassCoach. Her career includes 20+ years as a health care executive and 15 years (and counting) as a consultant. The common thread through Joan’s professional life has been a commitment to lead, mentor and coach current and future leaders, and women from all walks of life. KindCompassCoach provides information and advice grounded in Joan’s personal experience; however, all articles are backed by research and provide facts and advice from a wide variety of experts. Joan also serves as a thought-leader for KuelLife.com and is a regular contributor to PsychReg and Sixty and Me.