NURTURING RESILIENCE
This week Canadian footballer Alphonso Davies was named in the Canadian world cup squad. The story of Alphonso make up for an interesting read as he was raised in a refugee camp but managed to overcome the hardships to become a world star. His story is a stark reminder that people go through a lot of challenges but they still can overcome and not wilt under such to end up experiencing mental health challenges. Individuals triumph over such challenges through resilience which counters the development of mental health problems. Today’s discussion will focus on building resilience which is pivotal in mental health promotion.
American Psychological Association (APA) defines resilience as the ability for an individual to adapt or face life challenges, stress and adversity and be able to optimally thrive through emotional, mental and behavioural flexibility. How do we build resilience? Nurturing resilience is dependent on individual capabilities but the following universal tips can help.
In order to attain resilience we need to be willing to grow. Challenges have lessons written all over them, and therefore facing challenges may facilitate growth. To ensure a growth mindset, there need to be goals that should be realistic and attainable. This is pivotal as it helps individuals to be focused and have a hopeful outlook of life in line with their life aspirations. If one seeks growth, tough situations may be seen in a broader perspective and enhance their optimism.
Being optimistic is the hallmark of building resilience as lack of it can plunge one into hopelessness which is a factor in most of the mental disorders. As opined by Martin Seligman, “we plant the seeds of resilience in the ways we process negative events”, meaning that optimism can nurture resilience. Furthermore, Viktor E. Frankl asserts, “human potential at its best is to transform a tragedy into a personal triumph, to turn others’ predicament into human achievement.”
Having the growth mindset will result in people finding purpose. When we find purpose can be a hallmark of being able to deal with problems. The zeal to overcome challenges in the attainment of the purpose makes individuals to take lessons from the tough situation in order to surge ahead. Finding purpose is akin to looking for looking for opportunities for self-discovery which strengthens one’s ability to face challenges thus being able to deal with adversity.
We need to build connections with others in order to maintain resilience. Social relationships are the conduit through which resilience is strengthened.