Surely you have come across time and time again the word "RESILIENCE".
More than ever, and given all the challenges we face, individually and as a community, investment on “Resilience” is fundamental. It’s what will help us overcome obstacles and get out of them transformed.
And yes... It is not a feature only intended for some!
You will certainly agree with us when we say that it would not be a bad thing to have one or more pearls among our “assets”. Do you know how a pearl is formed? It is also the result of confronting adversity. The oyster, to protect itself from the grain of sand that hurts it, secretes nacre around it, which will allow to round its roughness and thus give rise to the much appreciated jewel.
We are like the oyster. Faced with adversity, we see our resilience capacity being built. We do not say that this confrontation with adversity is easy. What we say is that resilience involves behaviours, thoughts and actions that anyone can learn and develop. Resilience is an essential fuel for life, something that is important to continuously improve and have as one of our “assets”.
Find out here how you can continue to expand on your Resilience.
- Get connected. Strengthen your connections
We learn how to become more resilient with the support of friends, family and colleagues, whether when we relate to them, when we receive their help and/or when we help them.
- Promote your well-being
Have you activated self-care strategies?
Pay attention to your needs and feelings. Develop your coping strategies to deal with stress, and avoid resorting to strategies that only serve to mask what you are feeling (e.g.: alcohol, drugs ...). Get involved in activities that give you pleasure and relax you. Exercise regularly. Have a positive view of yourself. Invest on your self-knowledge and self-acceptance. Look for opportunities to continue to discover and develop yourself, promoting your problem-solving, creativity, communication skills…, which work together to allow us to live a more resilient life.
- Pay attention to your thoughts
When thoughts are "difficult", things become more challenging. So, first of all, accept that change is part of life. Admit that there are situations that are not under our control, but in the face of them, we can change the way we interpret and respond to them (I can, for example, choose to see a situation as a threat or as a challenge, knowing that the way I face the situation will have an impact on the way I address it). Keep things in perspective, and have an optimistic stance about being successful now or in the future. Be willing to reflect and learn from mistakes and the things that did not go well. Ask yourself “what can I learn from this experience?”. Pay attention to your internal discourse, which at times can be too critical, and don't forget: be kind to yourself!
- Discover your purpose/what guides you.
“Anyone who has a purpose faces any how,” said Friedrich Nietzsche. Purpose drives us. Be proactive, ask yourself "what can I do to deal with this problem in my life?" If the problems seem too big, divide them into small parts. Set realistic goals and take small steps towards them on a regular basis. Rather than focusing on tasks that seem unreachable, ask yourself - "what is the task that I can complete today that will help me move towards what I want?"
- Seek help
Do not be afraid to ask for help, whenever it is becoming more difficult to adapt to a particular situation. Asking for help is a sign of courage, and a step to be taken towards solving the problem and, consequently, better adaptation.
In case you need professional help, we remind you of the available support lines: • SNS24 Psychological Counselling Line - 808 24 24 24; • Crisis Psychological Support Line for University of Lisbon employees and students - 210 443 599 (Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm). • If you are a student at FMUL, you can also use Espaço S [email: espacos@medicina.ulisboa.pt].
References:
American Psychological Association (APA). (2012). Building your resilience. https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience
Cyrulnik, B. (2001). Resiliência. Essa inaudita capacidade de construção humana. Instituto Piaget.
Additional information on the topic
- Checklist – How is your resilience?
The results of this Checklist are only meant to help us become aware and think about our feelings, thoughts and resilience behaviours.
2. The other side of adversity
Try to see the useful side of obstacles. Ask yourself: Why is this happening? What can I learn from this experience? How can I make this experience useful for myself and/or others?
- Podcast with Ann Masten, Ph.D. “The role of resilience in the face of COVID-19”
In this podcast, Ann Masten, whose career has been dedicated to studying resilience, addresses different aspects of resilience, how to promote it in the face of the pandemic, how to promote it in children, as well as the importance of resilience tutors.
- Videos. Motivational and explanatory videos for health professionals, users and their families, from the Clinical Psychology Unit of the Central Lisbon University Hospital Centre (CHULC).
- Video 1 promoting resilience
- Video 2 emotional regulation
- TEDTALK “Boost Resilience: Take Charge of the Inner Critic and Inner Worrier”
It addresses how to promote resilience, taking into account the internal discourse.
Ana Rita Sobral
Carla Lucas
Students’ Support Office
