Resilience

Resilience is the ability to cope and recover from adversity. It’s important to note that being resilient is a skill you can learn, grow and modify over time.

Being resilient does not mean that people don’t experience stress. Demonstrating resilience includes working through and recovering from emotional pain and suffering, and many times being even more resilient than when you started.

Stethoscope on a background X-ray images

Life’s Challenges

Professional stressors
Divorce
Financial issues
Illness
Job loss
Death
Loss of home/stuff
Moving
Relationship issues

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Residency Challenges

Am I good enough
What am I missing
I’m on remediation
Not fitting in
Gaining weight
Am I supervised enough
What if there is a code
Sleep deprivation
Competing obligations
Lack of schedule control
Medical school debt
Isolation due to time demands

Several factors contribute to how well people adapt to adversities, predominant among them:

the ways in which individuals view and engage with the world
the availability and quality of social resources
specific coping strategies

Resilience helps you:

Feel less afraid under pressure
Be confident you will find a solution when it appears no solution is possible
Improve self-esteem
Stay focused and productive
Strengthen your relationships under stress

Improving Resilience

Building Resilience Tip #1: Accept the situation
Building Resilience Tip #2: Expand your social network…don’t withdraw
Building Resilience Tip #3: invest time and money in self-care
Building Resilience Tip #4: give help to others. volunteer. look for a greater purpose
Building Resilience Tip #5: Stay Motivated. control what you can control. celebrate your small wins.

How resilient are you?

Resilience Screening – everydayhealth.com

Resources

Building Resilience – apa.org

Verywellmind – verywellmind.com