What is Resiliency By Alex Krell What Is

What is Resiliency By Alex Krell

What Is Resiliency? § Resiliency is the ability to positively cope with or bounce back from difficulty. "Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. " Albert Einstein

What Makes a Person Resilient q Psychologists and researchers have found common skills resilient people practice to help them rise above life's challenges. q Resiliency is not an inborn characteristic but rather a skill that can be learned and developed. q Martin Seligman, also known as the father of positive psychology says, ”learning to turn your most traumatic experiences into growth and improved performance provides the foundation for good psychological health. ”

10 Practices of Resilient People § If you want to discover how you can better respond to life's setbacks here are 10 common practices of resilient people.

1. Reframing u Reframing or the ability to obtain a fresh perspective or different mind-set. ---------------------------- u Instead of focusing on the problem resilient people acknowledge the issue, focus on finding a solution, and take action to solve the crisis.

2. Flexibility v Flexibility or the ability to create a variety of options in the face of uncertainty. ---------------------------------------v Resilient individuals do not have inflexible expectations but are rather sensitive to the environment around them. They are lifetime learners willing to reach a compromise or implement a change if it is beneficial for others.

3. Focusing or the ability to have a clear sense of living out their priorities. o -------------------------- Stephen Covey calls peoples priorities , ”True North”. This means they are extremely aware of their own personal values and beliefs. o This helps them say “no” to things that they consider less important

4. Optimism Ø Optimism or the ability to see setbacks as opportunities. ---------------------------------------Ø Resilient people are either born optimistic or have learned to be optimistic. They believe in their ability to find solutions to problems, overcome difficulties, and that everything happens for a reason.

5. Persevering ² Persevering or the courage and determination to keep moving forward despite overwhelming threats or setbacks. ---------------------------------------² Resilient people neither live in the past nor fantasize about the future but focus on finding solutions to the current problem.

6. Responding • Responding or how a person reacts to adversity. --------------------------------------- • Resilient people understand that the only thing they can control is how they choose to respond to the adversity. They are survivors who refuse to waste energy blaming their childhood, the government, or other outside sources for the difficulties they encounter.

7. Reaching Out q Reaching out or asking for help when help is needed. ---------------------------------------q Resilient people understand that what is sharable is bearable so they seek support from others to help them deal with life's difficulties. They turn to close friends, family members, or spiritual teachers when they need a fresh perspective.

8. Mental Toughness u Mental toughness or seeing oneself as a fighter rather than a quitter. ---------------------u Many resilient individuals have encountered countless setbacks, difficulties, and extreme adversity. u Resilient people are not afraid to step out of their comfort zone to learn a new skill

9. Balanced Living o Balanced living or taking care of the mind, body, and spirit. ---------------------o Resilient people know that in order to live out their purpose they must take care of their mind, body, and spirit before taking care of others. o They practice positive coping skills like prayer, yoga, meditation, exercise, healthy eating, and stress reduction.

10. Problem Solving v Problem solving or finding solutions to life's problems. -----------------------------v Resilient people expect challenges to occur and have the ability to remain calm and collected in the middle of a storm. v Dale Carnegie said, "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. " The power to forge ahead when there seems no hope at all is the definition of resiliency.

Jeannette Walls: A Resilient Person Jeannette Walls, journalist and author of the 2005 bestselling memoir The Glass Castle, speak about how she overcame severe adversity related to her dysfunctional childhood.

Jeannette Walls: Parents v Her mother Rose Mary, who had a teaching degree but refused to work because she considered herself to be an artist rather than a teacher. v believed a full time teaching job would restrain her creativity as an artist and a self proclaimed "excitement addict” v Her father Rex Walls was a former Air Force Officer who also rejected the idea of full-time employment. v When her father wasn't telling Jeannette about all the amazing things he had already done, he was telling them about the wondrous things he was going to do. Both Parents lived in a “Fantasy Land”

Jeannette Walls: Growing Up o Since her parents were absent for most of her life she sometimes resorted to eating cat food or stealing food from others to survive. o At 3 years old she was badly burned because she was cooking hot dogs on the stove o Her life was spent on the road doing what her father called, “the skedaddle” o the family would leave town in the middle of the night to avoid bill collectors

Jeannette Walls: Later Life Ø Jeannette dropped out of high school her junior year to follow her older sister who had recently moved to New York. Ø lived in a place that had running water, heat, and electricity. Ø Jeannette worked in service industry jobs, the high school newspaper, and later attended Barnard College. Ø After Jeannette graduated from college she met a wealthy New York society man. Ø She stayed married to him for a decade Ø During this time she managed to keep her poverty stricken childhood a secret, while she made a name for herself as a top level journalist.

Jeannette Walls: Success Story § After her divorce she remarried John Taylor, a fellow journalist who encouraged her to share her childhood story with the world. § She decided to write her memoir because, "Secrets are a little like vampires they suck the life out of you but they only exist in the dark". § Jeannette is noted for having a very high level of resilience when it came to her ability to accept her life for what it is, without blaming her parents for her trials, personalizing the difficulties that she endured, or trying to erase her past. § Jeannette’s mother currently lives with her. § Jeannette was able to overcome extreme deprivation and create a successful life for herself.

Olympic Resilience Video https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=io. B 6 szj 4 Ag 8&list=PLSin u-Di. TL 0 URKk-Ky 3 G 6 u. MNk. QMnk. LQ 6 I http: //www. mercurynews. com/breaking-news/ci_14399589

Quiz: Are You Resilient? http: //www. resiliencycenter. com/resiliencyquiz. shtml http: //stress. about. com/library/resilience/bl_resilience_quiz. h tm

Bibliography "What Is Resiliency? The Secrets of Resilient People Including Jeannette Walls. " Hub. Pages, n. d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014. "Comeback Story: American Speedskater J. R. Celski. " Mercury. News. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.