Learning to Be Resilient at Work

Resilience is being able to overcome the effects of difficult situations or traumatic events that may happen throughout your life. It’s necessary to learn how to be resilient as we grow from being children so that we can deal with things that could cause us to experience anxiety, stress or depression.

But as adults we are still likely to face situations that will test our mettle and resilience, in particular in the workplace. Without a certain amount of resilience, we’d be unable to attain our goals and remain positive and happy in the face of adversity.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development undertook a study on employee resilience and found that: “Positive affect refers to moods such as joy, cheerfulness, enthusiasm and alertness, while optimism refers to the belief that one will generally experience good outcomes. Employees who possess both of these are more likely to behave in ways that mitigate the effects of adverse events, or even prevent them in the first place.”

What do we need to be resilient?

In order to become more resilient at work and maintain our wellbeing, we need to have particular inner strengths:

• Self-control
• Gratitude
• Compassion
• Self-confidence
• Mindfulness

Not only does resilience help us to become stronger but it can also make us much wiser and at peace with ourselves. We are more likely to take risks that will help us to progress in our job because we know that we’re capable of recovering from any setbacks or trauma. Adapting to adversity doesn’t mean that we won’t experience the effects such as anger, frustration, sadness or stress, but it does mean that we are more equipped to deal with it and bounce back.

How can we become more resilient?

1. Gratitude

A great way to focus on the positives is by practising gratitude on a regular basis. When we make a conscious effort to be thankful for the good in every situation, it helps us to be more resilient against disappointment and deal with challenges with a more positive attitude.

2. Learning from past experiences

Take time to remember past experiences that you found upsetting or stressful and how you dealt with that particular situation. What personal skills did you use to overcome the difficulties and how can you use them in the future? You might even remember a time when you were really afraid of something that actually turned out much less frightening than you’d imagined. Often the fear of the unknown can be worse and when you do take courageous steps, it builds more self-confidence within you, so you are less afraid to experience the situation again in the future.

3. Mindfulness

Mindfulness is considered a core principle in developing our resilience because it arms us with self-control and helps us to focus on something other than negative feelings like anger, regret or resentment. When we dwell on negative emotions it can hinder our progress and make us afraid to grasp opportunities. It’s not uncommon for people to rush around at work, totally blinkered to what’s going on around them. This in itself can create feelings of stress and anxiety and make our jobs unbearable at times. When we become mindful of our actions and what’s happening around us, it helps us to slow down and focus more clearly on the task at hand, ultimately relieving some of the negative emotions and making us become more resilient to any challenges we might face.