Resilience is our psychological immune system. It protects us from the fear of failure and helps us to develop an optimistic outlook. It makes us strong and gives us the courage to continue even when things seem bleak.
We can train ourselves to be resilient and it is quite straightforward.
People who worry tend to focus on the bad things that might happen. So that is a clue! Spending some time making a note of things that go well is the basic idea.
If you are a worrier or have become a bit of a pessimist, or if you find that your difficulties are sometimes overwhelming, then a bit of resilience training might be just the ticket.
Every day, make a note of a few things, 3 maybe, that you enjoyed or that went well, or indeed did not turn out to be the disaster you predicted. Writing them down can help.
Then think about why it happened. Was it a happy coincidence? Was it because you took some action - made a phone call, for example, or took the plunge into something you have been avoiding maybe.
Then consider how you feel about this good thing. Why do you value it? What does it tell you?
And next, how can you get more of it?
When things are enjoyable, then why not have some more? If something worked, then do it again.
These ideas have been developed by the Penn Resiliency Programme, which has been taken up by the US Army as a way to help their soldiers get prepared for the anxiety and difficulties that they will undoubtedly come across. So, even though this is simple, it has been shown to work even in the most stressful circumstances.
Rather than dwell on all the problems in our lives, which just make us feel bad, this technique helps us to get things in perspective, by getting as much benefit as we can from the good things that we experience. Give it a try.
We can train ourselves to be resilient and it is quite straightforward.
People who worry tend to focus on the bad things that might happen. So that is a clue! Spending some time making a note of things that go well is the basic idea.
If you are a worrier or have become a bit of a pessimist, or if you find that your difficulties are sometimes overwhelming, then a bit of resilience training might be just the ticket.
Every day, make a note of a few things, 3 maybe, that you enjoyed or that went well, or indeed did not turn out to be the disaster you predicted. Writing them down can help.
Then think about why it happened. Was it a happy coincidence? Was it because you took some action - made a phone call, for example, or took the plunge into something you have been avoiding maybe.
Then consider how you feel about this good thing. Why do you value it? What does it tell you?
And next, how can you get more of it?
When things are enjoyable, then why not have some more? If something worked, then do it again.
These ideas have been developed by the Penn Resiliency Programme, which has been taken up by the US Army as a way to help their soldiers get prepared for the anxiety and difficulties that they will undoubtedly come across. So, even though this is simple, it has been shown to work even in the most stressful circumstances.
Rather than dwell on all the problems in our lives, which just make us feel bad, this technique helps us to get things in perspective, by getting as much benefit as we can from the good things that we experience. Give it a try.
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