Each and everyday I come across and work with a variety of individuals. And one thing that always shines through is that each individual has a different level of resilience. But what exactly is resilience?
The American Psychological Association defines resilience as "the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or other significant sources of stress..." and adequately describes it as "bouncing back" from difficult experiences.
Our resilience levels are all different. If we are shown historically to have a high level of resilience, then we even despite our the worst conditions, we have an ability come back from the brink of difficulty. But what does this mean if we are shown historically to have a low level of resilience? Does this mean that we can't come back from stressors? Absolutly not! Rather if we are shown historically to have a lower level of resilience, a way that we can minimize our risk is by ensuring that we have appropriate safeguards in place.
Lets take an example that many can relate to. Financial issues. Those who have a high level of resilience can lose their income and find a way to continue getting by and bouncing back (sometimes with vigor) over time. While those who have a lower level of resilience often attempt to prepare for sudden loss of income by having a nice surplus of financial, personal, familial, and supportive cushion to soften the blow.
Today's insight is that we all have a level of resilience, its just a matter of knowing to work with your natural resilience level to find the right amount of "cushioning" for you. Perhaps, you can "bounce back" without need for a cushion. That's great, but wouldn't be easier to bounce back with a little cushion? Perhaps, it take you longer to "bounce back". That's fine as well, and you would mostly have built for yourself a big enough cushion to support you until you can work on your comeback. No matter what, we always strive to bounce back. And if you are hitting a valley, what can you do to accelerate your "Comeback"?