How Resilience Are You
Chapter 10
The question is: What does Resilience Means?
It is having the capacity to recover quickly from difficult circumstances and situations. You are able to spring back into shape, not allowing misfortune, and challenging and conditions stop you.
In my research, I found out that more than 15 million people in America suffer from depression. It is a leading cause of disability. Major depression is something more. It’s a period of overwhelming sadness. And in the United States alone, over 40 million people suffer from Anxiety. Anxiety and depression are kissing cousins.
We all have those feelings from time to time, but they usually go away within a few days. No one is immune to depression or anxiety. Most of these people are in a competitive and in a High-pressure environment.
These people are often invisible, hidden, and unacknowledged. It is hard to recognize, but those who have suffered from it can immediately recognize it.
In life, we face insurmountable challenges of depression, anxiety, worry, fear, grief, prejudice, loneliness, and many other symptoms. And being in this position in life, I believe through the Word of God in the name of Christ Jesus, we can overcome them.
God has placed within each individual ‘Great Potential’ and not having ‘Resilience’, these challenges are great hindrances for any individual to reach their full potential in life.
There is a Scripture that says; “Trust in the LORD with ALL your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In ALL your ways acknowledge Him, and He WILL make your PATHS straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear (with reverence and godly fear), the LORD and turn away from evil (fully trusting God). It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:5-8)( NASB)
Another question: When these things come upon us, do we really put ALL our trust in God or do we try to solve them through fleshly means?
God desires that all who trust in Him walk in healing and health all the days of their lives; however, it is up to the individual to take Him at His Word and appropriate what rightfully belongs to him through the redemptive work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary.
I am not writing to tell you that being ‘Resilience’ is easy, nothing is really easy in life. When a seed is planted in the ground, it has to break through the thickness of the soil, and if the soil is not properly prepared, it may not bear its fruit correctly. Yes, something may come up, but may not be what you expect it to be.
A Resilience person never gives up. He or she quickly learns the trust God, leaning not on their own intelligence in life, believing what God has said is true, quickly coming back in line with Him. He is ALWAYS waiting to hear from you.
There is another Scripture that says; “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of Power and of Love and of a Sound Mind.” “Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the very nature of a servant, having made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on the cross.” (2 Timothy 1:7 /Philippians 2:5-8). If we allow the same attitude that Christ had, these challenges in life would be quickly solved and overcome.
Why is it so important to be resilient?
Be Resilience enables you to adapt well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress and any difficult challenge that you will face in your lifetime here on the earth. If you have not to face them, you will, they will come, and being resilient with the Word of God, can overcome them.
9 Ways to build resilience at work
1. Cherish social support and interaction. (Matthew 25:40)
2. Treat problems as a learning process. (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)
3. Avoid making a drama out of a crisis. (Galatians 5:15-16)
4. Celebrate your successes. (Philippians 4:13)
5. Develop realistic life goals for guidance and a sense of purpose. (Matthew 17:20)
6. Take positive action. (Proverbs 16:3; 18:21)
7. Nurture a positive view of yourself. (James 1:2-3)
8. Keep a realistic perspective Place challenging or painful events in the broader context of lifelong personal development. (Psalm 103:15-19)
9. Practice optimism. If we allow our thinking to dictate how we view something it will take over. Make your thinking work for your benefit, rather than letting it prevent or hinder you with doubt or by seeing only the bad side.
(Joshua 1:6-9; Romans 8:28; Philippians 4:13; Ephesians 6:11-18)
These are not the only ways to strengthen resilience at work.
For example, Some people find keeping a journal useful, those with a religious conviction find prayer helpful, and practicing mindfulness or meditation helps to connect with themselves and restore a sense of purpose. The key is to identify ways that are likely to work well for you as part of your own personal strategy for fostering resilience at work.
Changing your thinking gives you a different perspective and a whole new set of tools for dealing with difficult challenges in life. And the best change I personally believe is through Christ Jesus.
A song goes this way: “Lord I lift Your name on high, Lord I’m so glad You came to save us. I’m so glad You are in my life. You came from heaven to earth to show the way, from the earth to the cross my debt to pay, from the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky, Lord I lift Your name on high.”
In all circumstances and situations: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:11-12)
"At the heart of resilience is to believe in oneself—yet also a belief in something larger than oneself.
Resilient people do not let adversity define them. They find resilience by moving towards a goal beyond themselves, transcending pain and grief by perceiving bad times as a temporary state of affairs… It's possible to strengthen your inner self and your belief in yourself, to define yourself as capable and competent. It's possible to fortify your psyche. It's possible to develop a sense of mastery."
In my research, I found 10 Traits of Emotionally Resilient Person:
They know their boundaries. Resilient people understand that there is a separation between who they are at their core and the cause of their temporary suffering. The stress/trauma might play a part in their story but it does not overtake their permanent identity.
They keep a good company. Resilient people tend to seek out and surround themselves with other resilient people, whether just for fun or when there’s a need for support. Supportive people give us the space to grieve and work through our emotions. They know how to listen and when to offer just enough encouragement without trying to solve all of our problems with their advice. Good supporters know how to just be with adversity—calming us rather than frustrating us.
They cultivate self-awareness. Being ‘blissfully unaware’ can get us through a bad day but it's not a very wise long-term strategy. Self-awareness helps us get in touch with our psychological/physiological needs—knowing what we need, what we don’t need, and when it’s time to reach out for some extra help. The self-aware person is good at listening to the subtle cues their body and their mood are sending. On the other hand, a prideful stubbornness without emotional flexibility or self-awareness can make us emotional glaciers: Always trying to be strong in order to stay afloat, yet prone to massive stress fractures when we experience an unexpected change in our environment.
They practice acceptance. Pain is painful, stress is stressful, and healing takes time. When we're in it, we want the pain to go away. When we're outside it, we want to take away the pain of those who we see suffering. Yet resilient people understand that stress/pain is a part of living that ebbs and flows. As hard as it is in the moment, it’s better to come to terms with the truth of the pain than to ignore it, repress it, or deny it. Acceptance is not about giving up and letting the stress take over, it's about leaning in to experience the full range of emotions and trusting that we will bounce back.
They’re willing to sit in silence. We are masters of distraction: T.V., overeating, abusing drugs, risky behavior, gossip, etc. We all react differently to stress and trauma. Some of us shut down and some of us ramp up. Somewhere in the middle, there is mindfulness -- being in the presence of the moment without judgment or avoidance. It takes practice, but it’s one of the purest and best forms of healing and resilience-building.
A resilient person doesn’t have to have all the answers. The psyche has its own built-in protective mechanisms that help us regulate stress. When we try hard to find the answers to difficult questions in the face to traumatic events, that trying too hard can block the answers from arising naturally in their own due time. We can find strength in knowing that it's okay to not have it all figured out right now and trusting that we will gradually find peace and knowing when our mind-body-soul is ready.
They have a menu of self-care habits. They have a mental list (perhaps even a physical list) of good habits that support them when they need it most. We can all become self-care spotters in our life—noticing those things that recharge our batteries and fill our cup.
They enlist their team. The most resilient among us know how to reach out for help. They know who will serve as a listening ear and, let’s be honest, who won’t! Our team of supporters helps us reflect back on what they see when we’re too immersed in overwhelm to witness our own coping. Remember, it’s okay to communicate to our supporters what is and isn’t helpful feedback/support for our needs.
They consider the possibilities. We can train ourselves to ask which parts of our current story are permanent and which can possibly change. Can this situation be looked at in a different way than I haven't been considering? This helps us maintain a realistic understanding that the present situation is being colored by our current interpretation. Our interpretations of our stories will always change as we grow and mature. Knowing that today's interpretation can and will change, gives us the faith and hope that things can feel better tomorrow. (Remember; the possibility is only hidden by the impossibility.)
They get out of their head. When we're in the midst of stress and overwhelm, our thoughts can swirl with dizzying speed and disconnectedness. We can find reprieve by getting the thoughts out of our head and onto our paper. As one doctor wrote in a book writing to Heal, “People who engage in expressive writing report feeling happier and less negative than before writing. Similarly, reports of depressive symptoms, rumination, and general anxiety tend to drop in the weeks and months after writing about emotional upheavals.”
Jesus Christ told us that we would have tough times, but He also reminded us that He would always be with us. If He’s always with us, then He will help us. Be strong in Him and seek peace by keeping your mind on Him. We must stop dwelling on the bad. Resilient Christians look past their troubles and put their mind on Christ.
When our mind is set on Christ we will have joy in times of trouble.
In Christ, we find peace and comfort. We know that our hardships in life are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
Believers who are resilient never stop trusting in God even when things don’t go their way.
Through the severe storms, they continue to serve the Lord and honor His name before others. People look on and wonder how can He still serve God joyfully after all the trials. It is because love never gives up. God never gives upon us and we are to never give up on God.
As we see in Scriptures, God loves His children dearly, but that does not mean His children won’t go through trials. He will never forsake you. He hears the cries of the birds and provides for them. Aren’t you more valuable than the birds? Rest assured that God will always provide for you. He knows what you need. Cry out to Him.
A resilience person in the Lord Much remember:
“Tough times never last, but tough people do.”
“Scars remind us where we’ve been. They don’t have to dictate where we’re going.”
“You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.”
“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.”
(Hebrews 12:2-3) “We must focus on Jesus, the source, and the goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought him. Then he received the highest position in heaven, the one next to the throne of God.
Think about Jesus, who endured opposition from sinners, so that you don’t become tired and give up.” He is the Author and Finisher of our faith, and through Him, we live, move, and have our being to the Glory of God.
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