Articles
Resiliency:
Coping with Change and
Challenge
By:
Denny Holland, Ph.D.
Resiliency
is a concept emanating from the Positive Psychology movement.
Basically, this is a movement devoted to preventing mental health
disorders—similar to general health efforts like preventative
medicine and wellness programs. Recently, the American Psychological
Association (APA) has made a significant effort to educate the public
on the basic principles of resiliency and coping skills. Check out the
APA website (www.helping.apa.org)
for an in-depth look at resiliency.
Resiliency
is the ability to adapt positively in the face of adversity, stress,
change and even traumatic events. People today face a multitude of
challenges in their personal lives, their work lives and the world in
general. While resiliency will not eliminate the pain in life,
it can offer basic coping skills to help adjust and better manage
life’s challenges and difficulties.
Resiliency
represents behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned and
developed. Resiliency promotes a balanced and flexible life that
features the skills to manage stress, change and even trauma. The
following principles of resiliency will assist in developing a
personal plan for adapting and coping with stress, change and
challenge:
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Realize
that change and challenge are part of life. Learn to accept
unchangeable circumstances while focusing on realistic goals.
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Establish
practical goals and plans -- then take positive action. Moving
toward realistic goals allows you to measure progress and
encourages further action.
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Maintain
positive relationships. Create a network of family, friends,
co-workers and professionals that offer positive support and
encouragement.
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Don’t
try to ignore or avoid problems or difficult situations. Make
a plan to take positive action to resolve challenges. Learn to
experience and manage strong emotions. This will help you make
the right choices during times of stress and challenge.
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Understand
yourself. Traumatic events often change people in positive
ways, such as generating personal growth and increasing a
sense of self-worth. As you develop the ability to cope and
manage challenge you will also increase confidence and develop
a more positive self-image.
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Maintain
perspective. Don’t permit events or situations to be blown
out of proportion. Seek advice and counsel to ensure an
objective view, then create an action plan while maintaining a
long-term perspective.
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Remain
optimistic. Expect good things to happen and maintain
confidence in your ability to manage difficult circumstances.
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Learn
from past events. Draw on past experience to help in managing
difficult situations. Remembering what and who helped you in
the past will assist in developing an action plan for the
future. The key is to move forward by establishing realistic
goals and remaining hopeful.
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Maintain
a healthy lifestyle. Stress is significantly reduced when
practicing balance. Eat healthy, exercise, find time to relax,
and get adequate sleep. Also, pay attention to feelings and
emotions. Learn to share appropriately to facilitate
self-awareness and personal growth.
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Look
to the future. Understand what you can and cannot change.
Understand that your perception of events often controls how
you feel and whether or not you move forward or remain
“stuck”. Look to your support network, to your spiritual
foundation and to your past successes to help you realize
there is hope for a brighter future.
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Finally,
as mentioned previously, don’t be afraid to seek assistance. In
addition to family and friends also consider support groups, reading
materials, clergy, mental health professionals and even online
resources. To help you get started on your journey to resiliency and
positive coping check out the following:
www.helping.apa.org
www.resiliencycenter.com
www.meaning.ca
Life
is full of challenge, tragedy and failure—but life is also full of
success, joy and fulfillment. Resiliency can help you cope with the
pain while making it possible to delight in life’s joy and beauty.
