Building Resiliency Skills

Resilience is the ability to adapt and bounce back in the face of adversity or stress. It involves being able to navigate difficult situations, overcome obstacles, and maintain a sense of well-being in the face of adversity. One way to build resilience is by learning to become more balanced in our thinking.

Balanced thinking involves looking at a situation from multiple perspectives, rather than just seeing it as all good or all bad. It also involves being able to recognize and challenge negative or unhelpful thoughts, and replacing them with more realistic and positive ones. This can help individuals build resilience by allowing them to reframe difficult situations in a more positive light, and by reducing the impact of negative thoughts and emotions.

Research has shown that balanced thinking can help individuals build resilience and cope with stress. For example, a study published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology found that individuals who received cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which is a therapy that focuses on changing negative thought patterns, had improved resilience and were better able to cope with stress compared to individuals who did not receive the therapy.

Another study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that individuals who were trained to think more optimistically, or to view negative events as temporary and specific rather than permanent and pervasive, had higher levels of resilience and were better able to cope with stress compared to individuals who did not receive the training.

In addition, research has also shown that mindfulness practices, which involve being present and nonjudgmental in the moment, can help individuals build resilience by reducing the impact of negative thoughts and emotions. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology found that individuals who participated in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program had improved resilience and were better able to cope with stress compared to individuals who did not participate in the program.

In summary, resilience is the ability to adapt and bounce back in the face of adversity or stress. Learning to become more balanced in our thinking can help individuals build resilience by allowing them to reframe difficult situations in a more positive light, and by reducing the impact of negative thoughts and emotions. Research has shown that cognitive-behavioral therapy, optimism training, and mindfulness practices can help individuals build resilience and cope with stress.