What is Resilience?

Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress. Stress is constant, often arriving in the form of relationship conflicts, health concerns or financial problems. Being resilient means "bouncing back" from difficult experiences. Research has shown that resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary. People commonly demonstrate resilience. For example, most people who experience trauma do not develop PTSD; they adapt to their new experiences and their suffering slowly subsides. Being resilient does not mean that a person doesn't experience difficulty or distress. Emotional pain and sadness are common in people who have suffered major adversity or trauma in their lives. In fact, the road to resilience is likely to involve considerable emotional distress. Resilience is not a trait that people are born with. Resilience involves behaviours, thoughts and choices that can be learned and developed through practice.

"When we tackle obstacles, we find hidden reserves of courage and resilience we did not know we had. And it is only when we are faced with failure do we realise that these resources were always there within us. We only need to find them and move on with our lives."

- A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

"Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive."

- Jamais Cascio

"We live in a time when science is validating what humans have known throughout the ages: that compassion is not a luxury; it is a necessity for our well-being, resilience, and survival."

- Joan Halifax