Just what exactly is resilience anyway?

Opinion: here's a straightforward, jargon-free and simple guide to resilience which shows that it's more than just another buzzword

I know what you're thinking: another fluffy buzzword from the world of psychology that’s entered our everyday vocabularies. Your workplace probably promotes it. You've heard it talked about on the radio or podcasts. Worse still, academic types like myself lecture about its importance at every opportunity.

At its simplest, resilience is the ability of an individual to face dynamic, real life problems, stresses, traumas and successfully navigate and overcome these challenges. You need to stop thinking about resilience as something someone has or doesn’t have and start to think about it as something that is dynamic, like a skill. It's something that fluctuates and something you can tangibly develop rather than some vague trait only successful people are blessed with.

The very fact that you are reading this article today shows you are resilient. You’ve navigated countless stresses and traumas in your life to get this point, and you are probably in the middle of tackling some right now. Pause for a moment and consider the most recent life obstacle you’ve overcome. How did you do it? Hold that thought, we are going to come back to it.

We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

From RTÉ Radio 1's Reignite, how to build resilience

I am a firm believer that resilience is more akin to skill, something that can be cultivated and developed. However, it’s never that simple. Recall day one of football training for the under 8s down at the community pitch. You are full of enthusiasm as you step out onto the field; You dream of Croke Park and lifting Sam Maguire in front of a cheering crowd. But it was never going to be a level playing field. Despite the fact that none of the children having ever played football, some are naturally more talented than others and may well get to Croker on All Ireland final day.

Resilience is a bit like day one of football training. Just like athletic ability, resilience level at baseline varies between person to person. Through genetics or environmental influences, there is going to be variation between people.

Sticking with the sports analogy, think now about someone you know who had the raw talent to be successful, but never worked to realise their full potential. Compare them to the average footballer. They probably play in an unglamorous position like corner back, turn up to training every week and work hard. Week after week, they line out on the pitch, put in their shift, and enjoy long and successful sporting careers.

From RTÉ Brainstorm, what the brain needs to produce healthy and resilient children and adults

Who would you rather be? The unfilled could-have-been or the dark horse still driving on at the end? Most of us are the corner back when it comes to resilience. We are born with an average baseline level and develop a dynamic toolbox of mechanisms and skills that make us resilient through overcoming the countless challenges that life throws at us.

Let's discuss the idea of the resilience as a toolbox. Remember above I asked you to think about a recent challenge that you faced. What "tools" did you use to overcome it? Emergency services and military organisations around the world have driven this toolbox conceptualisation of resilience. The US Army has developed the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness programme. This takes a multimodal approach to building resilience across emotional, physical, family, spiritual and social domains. Just like a plumber fixing a leak, a hammer might not be the right tool for the job.

The same is true for our own personal resilience. We must be flexible in the mechanisms we employ to overcome challenges as effectively as possible. One situation may require us to grit our teeth and plough through, while another may rely on us tapping into our family network or a work team for support.

From RTÉ Radio 1's Today With Sarah McInerney, former Armagh footballer Enda McNulty on how we can keep mentally and physically positive in these tough times

Think about your own resilience toolbox, what tools have you got in there that are top of the range? Maybe you are an excellent people person and can easily ask for help from others when you are struggling; Social and interpersonal resilience is one of your tools. Or you are someone dealing with chronic pain but still manages to go about their life as best they can. Hardiness is a weapon in your arsenal.

I’m going to let you in on a trade secret and that's Combat Tactical Breathing. Used by military and emergency professionals ranging from advanced paramedics to elite special forces operators, it's a simple practice we can easily learn and use. According to the School of Medicine at the University of South Carolina, tactical breathing allows an individual to regain focus, take control and manage acute stress.

We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

From Tech Insider, a guide to Combat Tactical Breathing

Here’s how you do it: Breathe in counting 1, 2, 3, 4 (in your head) Stop and hold your breath counting 1, 2, 3, 4. Exhale counting 1, 2, 3, 4 and finally, hold your breath counting 1, 2, 3, 4. It's known as box breathing (visualize building a square where every 4 second breathing repetition is equal to a side of the square). Do this for about 5 "squares" the next time you feel overwhelmed. Breath work is importance for regulating stress reaction system in the brain, and for ensuring optimal heart performance. Do not underestimate its power.

I hope this has gone a small way to reclaiming resilience for the average person and breaking down the misconception that it is a mystical, elusive trait only for the lucky few. Fnal words: don't be afraid to be a corner back, take a breath and never ever forget your toolbox!

The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ

Just what exactly is resilience anyway?

More stories on

Colm Doody