Evidence-based tools for building resilience
Another evidence-based strategy for cultivating resilience is to hone in on purpose—the reason you’re here on this earth, the thing that drives you. In a study done by Stacey M. Schaefer and crew, they determined that finding meaning during challenge is one of the most critical mechanisms of resilience. Author and Chief Purpose Expert, Richard Ledeier, outlines some great steps we can take to work through this idea of purpose:
Purpose Reflection Activity:
Why are you?
Why do you get up in the morning?
What keeps you awake at night?
When are you most alive?
What does being successful mean to you?
How might you apply your gifts to a pursuit that is of deep interest to you and helps others?
What can you do to make a difference in one person’s life, today?
What is your sentence (meaning, if you summarized your purpose in one 140 character sentence, what would it be)?
If you say yes to living purposefully, what do you say no to?
If you met an older version of yourself, what sage advice would they give you?
Another skill that research has shown us can foster our resilience is learning to forgive others. Several studies have proven the efficacy of learning to let go for our happiness and ability to bounce back after adversity. Consider a time when someone wronged you and you were down for the count—would you have been able to recover from that better if you had been actively building your capacity to let things go and forgive others?
Harris, A. H., Luskin, F. M., Benisovich, S. V., Standard, S., Bruning, J., Evans, S., and Thoresen, C. (2006). Effects of a group forgiveness intervention on forgiveness, perceived stress and trait anger: A randomized trial. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(6), 715-733.
Leider, R. (2015). The Power of Purpose: Find Meaning, Live Longer, Better. 3rd Edition. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Pennebaker, J.M., Kiecolt-Glaser, J.K., & Glaser R. (1988). Disclosure of Traumas and Immune Function: Health Implications for Psychotherapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56(2), 239-245.
Schaefer, S.M.,Boylan, J.M., van Reekum, C.M., Lapate, R.C., Norris,. C.J., Ryff, C.D. & Davidson, R.J. (2013). Purpose in Life Predicts Better Emotional Recovery from Negative Stimuli. Plos.com.
