Resilience is the ability to recover quickly and positively from setbacks, to adapt well to change, and to keep going in the face of adversity and challenging and difficult times. It can be described as the ability to ‘keep going', ‘pick yourself up’, and ‘bounce back’ when something challenging happens in your life. Resilience helps you to handle anything from a minor change to a major setback.

Everyone will experience setbacks, change, adversity, and challenging and difficult times in their life and at work, whatever their level of resilience. However, the more resilient you are the quicker and more positive you will recover and bounce back and the more able you will be to keep going.  

Resilience is important as it enables you to develop mechanisms for protection against experiences that could be overwhelming, cope with and thrive during setbacks, change, adversity, and difficult and challenging times, maintain balance in your life whatever you are going through, and approach life positively and optimistically and experience all that life has to offer.

So how can you become more resilient? Here are 12 ways to increase your level of resilience:  

1. Focus on what is in your control

How often do you worry about things that are out of your control? Resilient people funnel their energy into what is within their control and they can change, whilst accepting what is outside their control and cannot be changed. 

2. Understand and accept reality

Do you use denial as a coping mechanism when things get tough? Understand and accept the reality of the situation you are in so that you can determine the best course of action to take to move forward.

3. Seek opportunity in difficult times

What do you do when you are faced with challenging situations? Resilient people seek meaning and opportunity and believe that the situation will improve and that they can make it happen.

4. Be creative, flexible, and adaptive

Do you try the same solutions as you always have done when times get tough? Resilient people are creative, flexible, and adaptive in challenging situations to find the best way forward.

5. Learn from experiences

Resilient people grow and develop by reflecting on experiences for learning and see both success and failure as an opportunity to change for the better.

6. Solve rather than avoid problems

What is your approach to problems? Don't avoid problems and challenges, solve them as they arise and you will increase your level of resilience.  

7. Build a support network

Do you have a support network? To increase your resilience, build a support network of friends, contacts, colleagues, and people you can rely on to support you when times get hard.

8. Work hard & persevere 

What have you given up on because it is too challenging, too big or you don't know what to do? Persevering when it is easier to give up and realizing that success is not achieved without a lot of hard work are key elements of resilience.

9. Have a clear sense of direction

Do you have a clear sense of direction and are you future-oriented? A clear sense of direction and future focus enables you to see beyond the here and now and overcome hurdles by finding solutions to problems, coping with major life challenges, and embracing change.

10. Manage your emotions and behavior

How do you feel, act, and behave when you are under pressure? Resilient people keep control of and manage their emotions and behavior and stay calm even in challenging and difficult times. 

11. Look after your health and wellbeing

Do you look after your health and wellbeing? Resilient people look after their physical and emotional health and wellbeing so that they have the strength and reserves to meet the challenges they may face.

12. Look for resilient role models

Who do you know who has a high level of resilience? Think about people you know or admire who recover quickly and positively from setbacks, adapt well to change, and keep going in the face of adversity and use them as a role model to increase your own level of resilience.

Consider your own level of resilience and what action you may want to take to become more resilient.

Next Steps

If you want to explore resilience further, you can take one of our resilience courses on Michael Management which contains insight into resilience and lots of tools, tips, and strategies to help you to be more resilient and increase your resilience over time in life and at work. We have two courses available:

Resilience for business, aimed at business owners, directors, and managers, which covers your own resilience in life and at work and the resilience of your business and workplace; and

Resilience for life, for everyone else, which covers resilience in life and at work.