
Resilience theory tells us that resilience isn’t a fixed trait (you can grow your capacity to practice resilience). RELATED: Are You Making Choices That Help or Hinder Your Resilience? Take the Quiz. Resilience theory has been studied across different fields, including psychiatry, human development, and change management. Resilience theory refers to the ideas surrounding how people are affected by and adapt to challenging things like adversity, change, loss, and risk. People have to learn to cope with and work through very challenging life experiences. There is the shared reality of tragic events in the news, such as terrorist attacks, mass shootings, natural disasters, a global pandemic, and war.

There are personal crises, such as illness, loss of a loved one, abuse, bullying, job loss, and financial instability. People face all kinds of adversity in life. Demonstrating resilience includes working through emotional pain and suffering. It depends on personal behaviors and skills (like self-esteem and communication skills), as well as external things (like social support and resources available to you).īeing resilient does not mean that people don’t experience stress, emotional upheaval, and suffering. Building resilience takes time, strength, and help from people around you you’ll likely experience setbacks along the way.

It’s important to note that being resilient requires a skill set that you can work on and grow over time. Sood is also a member of the Everyday Health Wellness Advisory Board.) “It’s your ability to withstand adversity and bounce back and grow despite life’s downturns,” says Amit Sood, MD, the executive director of the Global Center for Resiliency and Well-Being and the creator of the Resilient Option program. It’s having the mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and ability to adjust to both internal and external demands, per APA. Resilience refers to both the process and the outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, according to the definition from the American Psychological Association (APA).

What is resilience, why is it so important, and how do you know if you’re resilient enough?
