I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs, but how high he bounces when he hits rock bottoms ( George S.Patton JR )

Resilience has been defined in various ways by many researchers and I would like to share some of these with you to ensure we have a shared understanding of this concept. Resilience can be described as your ability to bounce back emotionally, adapt , recover and grow during or after difficult and stressful times ( Rutter 2008) Resilience is ‘keeping your head’ in the midst of adversity and positively adapting to stressful situations (Hopf 2010).

Resilience can be likened to an elastic band that stretches and adapts when pulled but doesn’t snap or break under pressure . Resilience has four dimensions including physical, emotional , mental and spiritual. I will be elucidating how emotional resilience can facilitate you in overcoming insurmountable difficulties whilst succeeding in life.

Emotional (Psychological) Resilience is the capacity to emotionally recover successfully from adversity including stressful situations and crises such as a bereavement or job loss (Pecillo 2016). Emotional resilience is the process of continual development of personal competence whilst navigating and negotiating with available resources in the face of adversity. People that are emotionally resilience tend to learn from adversity due to facing it head on rather than avoiding it or stagnating.Success is not final , Failure isn’t fatal its the courage to continue that counts ( Winston Churchill )

Emotional Resiliencecan contribute to an Individuals success through enabling you to accomplish your unique goals and desires by effectively navigating through adversity and obstacles. Emotional Resilience is correlated with Emotional Intelligence / Quotient which is a greater predictor of business success than I.Q.

1. Emotional Awareness – Emotional resilience consists of being emotionally aware and conscious which includes understanding what youre feeling emotionally, why and being able to succinctly articulate this. Its important to identify your triggers to your emotional changes as this will assist with self regulation which successful Individuals are skilled in doing. Emotional awareness can facilitate leaders in climbing the career ladder as they are able to effectively connect with their peers , juniors and colleagues. Essentially this skill will enhance your interpersonal effectiveness.

2. Self Regulation of Emotions includes accepting distressing emotions such as anxiety whilst not allowing them to avert you in succeeding with goal accomplishment. Emotions can be regulated through the use of mindfulness, controlled breathing exercises, visualization and progressive muscle relaxation exercises.

3. Reframing negative beliefs and situations through optimism and the right attitude equips you in identifying opportunities as opposed to solely threats which can facilitate taking actions and risks which contribute to success and build resilience as you have to trust the process towards success and counter irrational beliefs which may impede your professional and personal growth.

4. Learning from mistakes develops a growth mindset and resilience which characterises success as it is about learning rather than proving you are correct. Please consider Walt Disney who was fired by a newspaper Editor who was told he lacked imagination and Henry Ford whose early businesses failed and he was broke on five occasions before succeeding with Ford.

4.Problem Solving is a characteristic of emotional resilience as when faced with difficulties Individuals face them rather that prevaricate which reduces stress and improves the likelihood of success. If you struggle with problem solving consider breaking your problem into small bitesize chunks.

5. Internal Locus of control is paramount as emotionally resilient people believe they are in control rather than outside forces controlling their lives. This trait is associated with less stress as these individuals would have a realistic view of the world, be solution orientated an proactive which ultimately contributes to effective stress management.

6. Successful people comprehend the importance of social support as we are not an island and no one succeeds alone. Supportive friends and family facilitate emotional resilience when utilized effectively and consistently.

7. Successful Individuals persevere which is a trait of emotionally resilient people who are action orientated and allow their goals to determine their course and race. Do athletes give up during the competition then why should you? Continue building the emotional resilience muscles and focus on the finish line as success is attainable.

8. Self acceptance and self esteem characterize emotionally resilient Individuals as they have high levels of self efficacy and believe in their aptitudes whilst also acknowledging areas that need to be developed. Self acceptance allows you to just do you and follow your dreams with passion , grit and perseverance which contributes to success

If you’d like to build your emotional resilience why not contact me to see which skills you can develop.

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Martina Witter

Resilience and Wellbeing Specialist I Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist I Director or Rapha Therapy Service

www.raphatherapyservices.com