Resilience. It brings to mind strength, courage, ambition, boldness.

But it is so much more and we all have the capacity to build up our resilience, making us better equipped to deal with whatever life throws at us.

 

So what are the key factors of resilience?

 

1) Life satisfaction

 

How satisfied are you with your life? Do you know what your purpose is? (Take a look at the Ikigai model for a framework on this).

 

2) Optimism

 

How effective is your reframing of negative situations? Can you see the opportunities to learn or develop when something doesn’t go your way?

 

3) Positive influences

 

Surround yourself with people who lift you up and give you energy. Spend less time with those who drain you.

 

4) Create and maintain successful habits

 

Pick something that you’d like to commit to. Perhaps a personal goal around your wellbeing or a career-focused goal around personal development. Which one thing could you start doing tomorrow? Diarise it, create a boundary around it to make it non-negotiable and then be consistent. Habits are borne out of routine.

 

5) Look for social support when you need it

 

Be curious, ask questions, ask for help. You don’t need to do anything alone.

 

6) Create coping strategies

 

Think about scenarios that cause you stress or anxiety and break down what the triggers are and what you could do to manage the situation. This is where coaching can really help.

 

All of these are key factors of resilience. To start, try looking at each one at a high level and note your thoughts. Then pick one to focus on, set a goal related to it and commit to making it happen.

 


Ayesha Murray is a career coach for working parents and the host of The Parent Equation Podcast. After a 23-year marketing career, she retrained as a coach in order to champion working parents and give them a platform to share their aspirations, challenges and stories. She built up her own resilience by going out of her comfort zone and recently chaired a panel discussion on parental support reform in the House of Commons!