BIG PICTURE

Part of life is enduring challenges. But that’s exactly what makes our existence so remarkable — we are always finding new ways to adapt and problem solve. Research shows that resilient people do not just “look on the bright side”— they let their positive and negative emotions exist side-by-side. Denying unpleasant emotions can actually magnify them, meaning that true resilience is to actually go through a challenge and learn something new in the process.

ADDING DEFINITION

Resilience is the process of adapting when we face difficult experiences. It’s less the idea of “bouncing back” from something traumatic, but rather, “bouncing forward,” meaning instead of returning to how we were before the challenge we encountered, we take what we learned and adapt.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Resilience will look different in every person and situation. And it often takes a lot of support along the way. Over time, we will create a toolbox of the skills and mindsets that we can return to when we hit a roadblock, getting more “comfortable with discomfort” as we go. Developing resilience is knowing where to turn to for support, learning to adapt, and developing your own set of resources to navigate new situations, again and again, and coming back stronger each time.