Evidence-based tools for building resilience

Because we know that we can build our resilience, both in times of trial and in times of peace, it can be helpful to identify a few small things you can do daily to build up that metaphorical muscle. Resilience isn’t a static, fixed quality we either have or do not have—it’s something we have a flexible baseline of that changes depending on our circumstances, trauma, stress, and response to all of those things. Psychology gives us many frameworks for study, and because of this, we have some great evidence-based tools we can use to foster our resilience in small, tangible ways.

We’ve already touched on a few, like cultivating gratitude, working on adequate self-care, and healing your self-talk. We also know that when we cultivate creativity—through art, music, dance, expression, play, underwater basket weaving—it is a wonderful way to build our resilience skills regularly. (Creativity helps us “get creative” in times of challenge, of course.) Similarly, focusing on getting into flow state—in “the zone”—builds our resilience because it’s a time that effectively builds our self-efficacy, confidence, and motivation.

So what else does the research tell us about building resilience?

Dr. James W. Pennebaker and company conducted an interesting and instructive study back in the 80’s (prehistoric times, practically, but still relevant!) that taught us a lot about the power of therapeutic writing. One specific form of this that proved highly effective for improving well-being and overall happiness is “rewriting the story,” or recalling a past event and rewriting it from a strengths perspective.

In this study, participants were asked to recall a past event that caused them distress or unhappiness. Instead of writing it exactly as they recalled it, they were asked to write it from the perspective of the strengths they displayed, the lessons they learned, and the resilience they showed during that time. The event was no different—the same thing happened, but by asking them to find the good, it shifted their perception and their happiness. This sort of activity helps our brains begin to pick up on all of the good, something that is perhaps not really our nature, and tells it that we’re stronger than we even realize.