What is resiliency?

Resiliency is the human capacity to bounce back from bad experiences, or thrive in spite of hard times and difficulties. Resiliency is something that everybody has, although some people may show it more clearly than others. Everyone has been through bad experiences and survived. Just like our bodies can recover from physical injuries, so can our minds recover from painful experiences. What kinds of hardship are we talking about? It might be:

• Loss or bereavement (death of someone you love)
• Growing up in a poor or underprivileged area
• Trauma - trauma is a shocking, frightening or overwhelming experience, such as being in a car accident, being the victim of or witnessing a violent crime, experiencing war, etc.
• Serious illness
• Growing up in a family in which there is a lot of fighting and conflict

There are many possible hardships in life. The question from the point of view of resiliency is: how do we overcome these hardships? A lot of research has been done on what makes some people more resilient than others. This research has shown that people are more resilient if:

• They have supportive people around them
• They think in a positive, optimistic way
• They have good problem solving skills
• They are involved with their community in a meaningful way
• They have good social skills, like confidence and friendliness
• They have good emotional skills, like knowing how to control anger
• They have good, realistic self-esteem

This website provides information about how you can learn to develop your resiliency.