Resilience
What is Resilience
Resilience is the ability to adapt to challenging conditions and recover from stressful or traumatic experiences. It does not mean avoiding stress or never experiencing difficult emotions. Instead, resilience involves developing skills and support systems that help you manage challenges.
Why is resilience important?
Resilience may help you deal with everyday challenges and recover from bad experiences. It can also help you maintain your mental health and manage change.
Resilience may help you:
- Deal with stress and setbacks.
- Adapt to changes in your life.
- Manage difficult feelings.
- Solve challenges and make judgments.
- Maintain your relationships and social contacts.
- Ask for help when you need it.
- Recover from challenging experiences.
What can affect resilience?
Many things can impact how successfully a person handles challenges.
Social support: Supportive ties with family and friends can be beneficial.
- Physical health: Sleep, exercise, and overall physical well-being can all impact your ability to cope.
- Life experiences: Previous experiences can influence how you respond to challenges.
- Stress levels: Persistent or severe stress can make coping difficult.
- Mental health issues, including anxiety and depression, can have an impact on coping and overall well-being.
- Financial and social circumstances: Housing, work, and financial stability may affect well-being.
- Access to resources: Having access to healthcare and other support services can help you manage challenging situations more effectively.
Signs of good resilience
A resilient individual may:
- Adapt to unforeseen events.
- Recognise and regulate challenging emotions.
- Recover from setbacks.
- Be willing to seek assistance.
- Maintain helpful connections.
- Find realistic solutions to challenges.
- Learn from unpleasant experiences.
- Maintain healthy routines during stressful times.
- Recognise when you require expert help.
Resilience vs mental health
| Resilience | Mental health |
| Refers to the ability to adapt and cope with challenges. | Refers to overall mental and emotional wellbeing. |
| Focuses on how a person responds to stress, setbacks and change. | Includes thoughts, emotions, behaviour and ability to manage everyday life. |
| Can help a person recover after difficult experiences. | Can change throughout a person’s life. |
| Can be developed and strengthened through skills and support. | Can be supported through healthy habits, relationships and professional care when needed. |
| A person can be resilient while still experiencing mental health difficulties. | Mental health difficulties may sometimes make coping more challenging. |
How can you build resilience?
You may build resilience by:
- Stay in touch: Maintain relationships with individuals you trust.
- Maintain your physical health: Get adequate sleep, eat well, and remain physically active.
- Manage stress: Practise relaxation, mindfulness, or other healthy coping skills.
- Set reasonable goals: Break down enormous tasks into smaller, more achievable stages.
- Accept change: Understand that change is a natural element of life.
When can resilience be helpful?
Resilience can be particularly useful when dealing with:
- Major life changes.
- Relationship difficulties.
- Work or study stress.
- Financial difficulties.
- Grief and loss.
- Illness or injury.
- Unexpected setbacks.
- Trauma or other distressing experiences.
- Changes in family or social circumstances.
Note: The content on this page is for information only. In case of emergency, call triple zero (000).
