How resilient are you?

How resilient am I? Good question... I had never thought about this until I participated in a women’s event where the Resilience Institute program was presented. But what does it mean to be resilient? On the web we can find several definitions that resume into the capability “to recover from or adjust easily to change” or “to bounce back to an original state”.

With an increasing curiosity on the topic, this week I followed a full day Practical Resilience workshop from the Resilience Institute consisting of understanding what resiliency is, knowing my personal resiliency ratio today, learning the techniques to become more resilient, and defining a priority list and an action plan to take me there.

It was a day well spent for the learning, the experience and the exchange with the coaches and the other participants. The approach was very pragmatic with relaxation exercises and short group assignments.

I learned that with small changes in our daily routines and habits we can easily improve our physical, mental and spiritual condition. For example, exercising daily or at least stretching 5 minutes per day; waking up early and at the same time every day including on weekends (of course, with time we will eventually also start going to bed early); eating balanced and healthy foods that energize without surcharging the digestive system; and allowing the body and the mind to recover through short breaks for good breathing throughout the day. To summarize, I learned that I can increase my resiliency through sleep, nutrition, exercise and relaxation.

You may be thinking – so what? Nothing new… Indeed, it seems only good common sense that helps us live healthier and happier. So why are most of us not doing all of this already? Or why are we only covering one piece of the puzzle? Are we lazy or undisciplined? I admit sometimes I am both…

In the company I work I hear more and more news of colleagues who reached the burnout state which lies at the bottom of the lower part of the Resilience spiral. It is by recognizing the risks and the signals early enough, and knowing when and how to “bounce back” that we can prevent the negative effects of stress and ultimately avoid a burnout.

Another key contributor to resilience is emotional intelligence, the way we manage our emotions. Many years ago we were hearing only of the IQ (intellectual quotient). Some decades ago we started hearing about the EQ (emotional quotient), particularly relevant to leadership positions. Understanding, being aware and managing one’s emotions is extremely important to establish and maintain personal and professional relationships, and therefore contributes to higher resiliency.

I am now convinced that resiliency training and practice can do wonders to everyone, especially in the most developed countries where the negative effects of today’s overloaded, stressful life, filled with unhealthy habits and routines are most prominent. Resilience knowledge and practice is not only valuable for own individual good, but also to support those who manage and lead other people in being alert and acting on time to prevent disengagement, lower performance and burnout and, gradually, increase engagement and performance.

The Resilience Institute workshop I attended took place in a wonderful, charming hotel in front of Lake Geneva, in Switzerland. The room was big with big windows offering natural light and a view to the lake. The coffee breaks were very well served with healthy snacks, fruit juice, coffee and tea. The meal served at lunch was balanced, well prepared and presented, and offered a great opportunity for networking with my peers and coaches.

First thing the coaches asked participants to do in the morning was to note down our individual intentions (not the expectations) for the day, and to keep the paper in the pocket. I wrote that I wanted to learn how to be more resilient, to relax, to have a good time, and to return home with a big smile. At the end of the workshop, when I unfolded my paper I realized I had actually achieved my list of intentions. What a great day!

Acting on my sleep, namely waking up every day at 7:00 was part of my priority actions towards higher resiliency over time. It’s hard to keep this routine on weekends, but I’m trying hard not to deviate (much) and today I woke up at 7:30. So far the day has been very productive for the family. We already accomplished many things and I am particularly happy for having had the time to write this text.

PS. If you are following my story about Appreciative Inquiry, it is not over yet – I will post on the subject again soon.