What is Resiliency?

While building resiliency, one does not eliminate risks and stressors entirely. Instead, one must learn how to deal with these hardships effectively. According to the American Psychiatric Association, resiliency is the ability to adapt over time to challenging situations and stressful conditions. 

Different individuals measure life experiences differently; each person has their own concept of trauma and hardship. Therefore coping with these challenges will differ greatly depending on the individual. How these individuals cope with pain, sadness, and emotional distress is exhibited through behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. These feelings, thoughts, and behaviors are what form resiliency. The ability to be resilient often derives from strong and caring relationships and support systems. Relationships that create love and trust provide role models and offer encouragement and reassurance to help reinforce resiliency. 

Resiliency is multi-faceted, including the following traits:  

• The ability to make realistic goals, and strive to meet them

• A general positive outlook, with confidence and strength in one's abilities

• The ability to communicate efficiently with others and problem-solve

• The capability to work through strong feelings and manage impulses

In order to foster resiliency, it is important to nurture oneself. As life events become challenging, it is necessary to acknowledge personal emotional needs. It is vital to address these needs while maintaining perspective on the broader context of the issue. With counseling, we create space where the individual can make slow but substantial progress towards overcoming negative experiences and becoming more resilient.