What do you usually do when you receive unwanted tasks at work?
Are you someone who thinks “here we are again, everything happens to me” or do you think “well, let’s make the most out of it”?
If you are of the second type, you are likely to be resilient. If you are upset at extra work, do not worry! Resiliency can be trained.
Resilience can be defined as one’s ability to overcome obstacles and become stronger from them.
Resiliency can often seem like a superpower!
“Superwoman, what are you doing?”, “I overcome obstacles and become stronger from them”.
Well, lucky for you, you don’t need to be Superwoman to be resilient because whether or not you are born with resilient tendencies, you can train resilience within the workplace!
Developing your resilience will not only benefit you within the workplace but may improve your quality of life-based on the following data:
- According to studies; everyone will endure at least 3 serious difficult events in their lifetime. It can be the death of a loved one, a dismissal from work, a divorce, a difficult diagnosis, etc.
- Depression is the world’s most common disability according to the World Health Organization.
Clearly it’s a very serious issue. Unfortunately, we all know someone who has struggled to overcome a difficult time or who is depressed.
Resiliency is the most effective way to overcome difficulties.
Some essentials to developing resilience, are the three A’s from Dr. Rafaela Santos, President of the Spanish Resilience Institute:
Acceptance. Often confused with defeat or conformism, acceptance helps us understand a difficult situation and evaluate whether or not it can be changed, while also tackling these situations with an open mind. Whether or not the situation can be changed, you learn to accept it and learn from it.
Acceptance is different from its “sisters”, defeat and conformism because acceptance helps you diverge from the idea that the world is working against you. Instead, you understand that circumstances occur because of chance.
Acceptance is a learning process that brings about well-being, whereas defeat and conformity are not beneficial.
Adaptation. We live in a VUCA environment (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity). With the advancements of technology and the Internet, things change instantaneously.
It’s essential to adapt to changes because when we don’t do this, we become resistant and create unnecessary suffering for ourselves.
Attitude. This is the fundamental A. Attitude, similar to resilience, can also be trained and improved. Maybe the relationship between attitude and resilience is what makes the phrase “change your attitude” so popular. This process can be broken down into little things you can do to improve your attitude and help you become more resilient:
Work on your optimism without being overly enthusiastic. If you complain a lot, see what happens to you. It’s fine to let off steam, but constant complaining can burn you out.
It’s also not worth dodging the issue and becoming apathetic as this immobilizes you. If you can’t choose the circumstances, you can at least choose your attitude. That is always possible.
Practice some activities that can help you avoid overthinking.
- If you have a problem, identify the things that are within your area of influence (those that depend on you) and those that are in your area of concern (those that do not depend on you).
- Practice assertiveness.
- Ask for help if you need it.
- Laugh as much as you can, laughter releases stress and recharges you.
- Respect and love yourself. Be careful how you talk to yourself. If a friend told you the things you sometimes say to yourself, you may not talk to them again.
- Do things that make you feel good, especially in times of stress. Prioritize your well-being.
Exercise and enjoy your new superpower!