The Importance of Resiliency

The Importance of Resiliency

“If you would see a man’s heart, knock him down. Then observe how he rises. If you would see his soul, do it a thousand times more.”- Lance Conrad

As students, we often complain that the schoolwork we are assigned has nothing to do with what we will do in the real world once we graduate. However, our lives inside and outside of the classroom do have one thing in common: we will face obstacles in each of them. The last semester was one of the most difficult both personally and academically that I have faced so far. Balancing both at the same time is tough and is, in fact, one of the most difficult parts of being a college student.

The key to navigating this maze of struggles and responsibilities is resiliency. According to the Resiliency Center, resiliency is “a human ability to recover quickly from disruptive change, or misfortune without being overwhelmed or acting in dysfunctional or harmful ways.” School and life are certainly known for throwing their fair share of disruptive change and misfortune our way, but our ability to recover and move on from these difficulties is what will shape who we are. Professors advise us all the time to not let a grade define who we are and they’re right. You are not defined by an individual grade; bad grades and unfortunate things happen to everyone. What defines who you are is how you respond to an unfavorable grade or event. One of the best ways to begin practicing greater resiliency is to do the same types of things other resilient people have tried and shown to be effective.

According to Psychology Today, Donald Meichenbaum, psychologist and co-founder of cognitive-behavioral therapy, listed characteristics of resilient and nonresilient people in his book Roadmap to Resilience. Below are the critical features of resilient people as stated by Meichenbaum in his own words:

• Positive vs. negative. Resilient individuals tend to foster positive emotions more than negative ones. They view life optimistically and are hopeful about the future. They appreciate humor and can laugh at themselves. They choose gratefulness over cynicism.

• Task-oriented. Instead of passively waiting to see what happens, resilient people identify issues that can be changed and then change them. And when something can’t be changed, they learn to accept it.

• Flexible thinking. Cognitive rigidity is the enemy of resiliency. The ability to think on your feet and generate alternative solutions, thoughts and ideas is key to maintaining psychological strength. Limited options lead to limited solutions.

• Fitness and health. An important aspect of resiliency is maintaining adequate physical health and avoiding risks. This includes regular exercise, proper nutrition, limiting or eliminating the use of alcohol, tobacco and caffeine, and avoiding careless and reckless behavior.

Incorporating these features into your life can help you move toward the mental resilience needed to succeed in both life and college. This doesn’t mean that tough times won’t come, but it means that you will be better equipped to handle them. Now that the spring semester has begun, I hope that you think about how important resiliency is and that you are able to use these tips to help you thrive in this semester and those to come. You’re going to get knocked down and it’s going to hurt. The defining characteristic of who you are is not how many times you fall, but how many times you stand back up and go at it again.

-Trent Griner