Resilience
Resilience is also called the immune system of the soul. Through our mental resilience, we remain mentally healthy, survive stressful situations and also recover from stressful times.
What exactly is resilience?
The word “resilience” originally comes from Latin (resilire) and means to bounce back or rebound. Resilience refers to the inner strength that enables people to overcome crises and difficulties without long-term impairment and even to emerge stronger from them. Resilient people regain their strength after periods of stress and find their balance again. Resilience is therefore also known as the “immune system of the soul”. Resilience is not just an innate quality – people can also learn how to deal with crises and their own reaction to stressful situations.
The seven pillars of resilience
We work with the model of the seven pillars of resilience. In a way, these pillars represent different aspects of human resilience. This image makes the abstract concept of resilience more tangible – because each of the seven pillars is also associated with areas where something can be done.
Optimism is a positive attitude towards life associated with seeing things, people and situations in a positive light and expecting the best from future situations. Optimistic people focus on things that work and turn out well and, especially in difficult situations, trust that things will get better again.
Acceptance means acknowledging things that have happened as well as things that are unchangeable and unavoidable. Only those who accept the realities of their own situation can concentrate on overcoming the problems and stressors by facing them.
If you constantly brood over a problem without taking concrete steps to deal with it, you will become more and more entangled in it. Solution-oriented thinking and acting helps people to focus on things that work instead of just concentrating on the causes of their problems.
It is quite normal for negative thoughts to arise in challenging situations. Self-regulation enables us to control our thoughts, feelings, emotions and behaviour to a healthy degree appropriate to the situation.
People who take a high degree of responsibility for their own thoughts, feelings, actions and well-being are more resilient than those who place the blame on circumstances or other people. This is about encouraging oneself and believing in oneself to get through the situation.
Good social relationships are vital for people and are one of the most valuable resources they have for inner resilience. Seeking necessary support in the face of challenges is very healthy behaviour to fall back on in critical situations.
People who can think and act in a future-oriented way are more resilient than those who cannot envision a future and cannot think and act with purpose. Future orientation means planning one's own future and acting purposefully and energetically to realise one's plans.
What do I need resilience for?
