Resilience is the ability to “bounce back” after a difficult life event – whether it is the death of a loved one, job loss, natural disaster, or mental, emotional, physical, or sexual trauma.  We will all face difficulties in life, many of us will face truly traumatic events.  Resilience developed before these events will improve the likelihood of returning to optimal levels of health effectively after trauma.

Resilience can be trained.  You can practice and learn the art of resilience before life becomes difficult.

These were the ideas of Dr. Steven Southwick, whom I had the pleasure of meeting and listening to recently.  Dr. Southwick is a recognized expert on the psychological and neurobiological effects of extreme psychological trauma. He is the inaugural Greenberg Professor of Psychiatry, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Resilience at the Yale University School of Medicine and the Yale Child Study Center, adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Medical Director of the Clinical Neurosciences Division of the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. He has worked with a wide range of trauma survivors including combat veterans, civilian children and adults with PTSD, and very high functioning stress resilient former prisoners of war and active duty Special Forces soldiers and Navy Seals.  Dr. Southwick is wicked smart.

His research defined 10 themes of Resilience.  Ten core concepts that resilient people develop.  He writes in-depth on these themes in his book Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges, they are:

1. Resilient Role Models
2. Positive Emotions
3. Emotional Regulation
4. Active, rather than Passive, coping strategies
5. Social Support – resilient people seek out support
6. Cognitive Flexibility – the ability to reframe a situation in a positive light.
7. Spirituality – not necessarily religion – but the idea that there is something greater than one’s self
8. Moral Code that typically includes altruism
9. Meaning & Purpose – resilient people have discovered meaning and/or purpose in their life that trauma will not interrupt
10. Training – resilient people have already trained for life’s difficulties; physically, psychologically, and even spiritually

Which of these themes already exist in your life?  Which ones do you want to work on?  We will all struggle in life, some will carry a greater burden than others.  Above are 10 concepts that you can learn and practice to help bounce back from those difficulties more quickly.  What will you do with them?

As always, I am happy to talk about them in my office or remotely.  You can check out what The Meaning Project has to say about these ideas (hint, #9 “Meaning and Purpose”), or you can read Dr. Southwick’s book – I know I’ll be starting it soon.