Resilience: Face the Change and Thrive

Stop the world, I want to get off!  That cry is a blast from the past and some days feels as relevant as ever.

It seems that just about everyone feels stressed out these days.

I believe much of it is in response to change.  With the unprecedented rapid and accelerating pace of change, the New Normal (actually even the expression itself is aging) calls for us to be increasingly resilient.

Resilience is the ability to adapt in the face of adversity.  It is the capacity to respond in a healthy and productive way to adversity or trauma.

When we look at the list of life events that cause stress, they all involve change. Some are positives such as a promotion at work, marriage, and the arrival of a child while others involve loss such as death or divorce.  (For a detailed list: Google:  Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale.)

Resilience is important because it’s stress that causes illness and disease and the Stress Scale predicts the risk of getting sick in the near term. Stress also generates the anxiety that interferes with our ability to function at normal levels, let alone our best.

A first step is to simply notice the stress to create awareness.  Also, while it’s easier said than done to let go of worrying about the things we can’t control, I find it helpful to put the circumstances in perspective.  When I think about the larger picture and my longer-term goals, the challenge at hand doesn’t seem so daunting.  It’s just a situation to be dealt with now.

It’s also helpful to acknowledge and protect my core values.  Another idea is to identify at least one area where I can exert control to establish a least a corner of stability that I can rely on.

Circumstances and expectations will continue to change and ever faster.  Accepting the changes without resistance and keeping an eye on my priorities is a strategy that helps keep me grounded and steady.