Building Resilience

Everyone is born resilient.

Even more so, anyone can learn to adapt better, bounce back stronger and rebound healthier than ever.

It’s not an easy thing to rebuild after trauma, and it’s a different journey for every individual. But with the right amount of support, time and hope, survival is not only possible, it’s within sight.

 

Resilience Questionnaire

Just as we have adverse experiences in our childhoods, we also have experiences that help us build our resilience.

Research is showing more and more the importance of resilience in overcoming the long-term impact of trauma. Answer the following questions to develop a better understanding of your personal resilience.

It’s important to remember that everyone has the capacity for resilience and we can always build resilience. Whereas the ACE score is static due to past events in our childhoods, resilience can be built in our present lives.

take the questionnaire

 

11 Ways to Encourage Resilience in Yourself

1. Maintain close connections with people. Healthy relationships with family and friends means that you have a support system that you can lean on when you feel stress or pain.

2. Think of yourself in a positive light. Try to silence your inner critic and instead listen to your inner cheerleader.

3. Your new mantra: I am resilient. You are not a victim, you are a survivor.

4. Trust yourself. Believe in your strength, your abilities and your instincts.

5. Give yourself control. Develop realistic, meaningful goals, and take decisive actions toward accomplishing them (and celebrate every small victory!).

6. Ask for help. There is no shame in admitting you don’t have all the answers.

7. Find healthy coping mechanisms. Make good choices and take care of yourself.

8. Help others. Your experiences and advice might be the perfect thing someone else needs to hear, and your support might mean the world to someone.

9. Accept change. Think about what you can control, and what is out of your control.

10. Exude optimism. Maintaining a hopeful outlook can help train your brain to not get bogged down in negativity.

11. Dig deep. Find out what is meaningful to you and compare that with how you spend your time. Identify ways you can continue to heal, like daily meditation, gentle yoga, creating art or listening to music.

 

Resilience Resources

What is resilience? | Watch Video

How to build up resilience | Visit Website

The APA’s road to resilience

NCTSN and child traumatic stress

NCTSN and family resilience and traumatic stress