Resilience is about taking a setback (such as a defeat) and being able to channel the disappointment of the experience to do better next time. In sport, defeat is something that every participant will experience at some point, whether that is in a PE class or in a World Cup final.
Psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress—such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors.
In developing resilience there are many benefits that can aid in professional (or amateur) sport, such as: Better equipped – resilience helps you to cope with stress and anxiety in a more positive way. Optimism – those with strong resilience look at every setback as an opportunity to learn and improve.
Resilience is made up of five pillars: self awareness, mindfulness, self care, positive relationships & purpose. By strengthening these pillars, we in turn, become more resilient.
The definition of resilient is someone or something that bounces back into shape or recovers quickly. An example of resilient is elastic being stretched and returning to its normal size after being let go. An example of resilient is a sick person rapidly getting healthy. Able to recover readily, as from misfortune.
The APA offers these 10 ways to build resilience:
- Make connections.
- Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable problems.
- Accept that change is a part of living.
- Move toward your goals.
- Take decisive actions.
- Look for opportunities for self-discovery.
- Nurture a positive view of yourself.
- Keep things in perspective.
Resilience is the psychological strength to deal with stress, setbacks, crises and an array of hardships that confront us in life. When life situations get out of kilter, resilience is the one quality and skill we need most to get us through the difficult times.
“Resilience is that ineffable quality that allows some people to be knocked down by life and come back stronger than ever. Rather than letting failure overcome them and drain their resolve, they find a way to rise from the ashes.”
“Resilience means that you are able to overcome any obstacle in your way no matter how difficult it may seem. Also, resilience is a characteristic one develops over time and it is an uncanny ability to adapt well to trauma, adversity, tragedy and threats. “Resilience is having a bad day and coming back to start over.
Resilient people are aware of situations, their own emotional reactions, and the behavior of those around them. Another characteristic of resilience is the understanding that life is full of challenges. While we cannot avoid many of these problems, we can remain open, flexible, and willing to adapt to change.
There are four different kinds of resilience:
- Mental resilience:
- Emotional resilience:
- Social resilience:
- Physical resilience:
- One of my favorites is to go high-five a tree.
- Swinging, oddly enough, is also known to build emotional resilience.
Athletes and others who are exceptionally technically and physically competent are usually more resilient to setbacks in their performance.
