Building Resilience in Times of Crisis

Resilient individuals are those who can rise from adversity, maintaining their psychological well-being and adapting to the changes that a crisis can bring. As Viktor Frankl aptly stated, “the external circumstances can strip us of everything, except one thing: the freedom to choose how to respond to those circumstances.”

An inspiring Eastern tale titled “The Fern and the Bamboo” illustrates this concept. In the story, a young man, feeling overwhelmed, seeks the wisdom of an elderly sage. The sage asks him to observe his garden, where he had planted both a fern and a bamboo at the same time.

The fern quickly flourished, showcasing its beautiful leaves, while the bamboo showed no signs of life. A year passed, and although the fern continued to thrive, the bamboo remained dormant. It wasn't until five years later that the bamboo began to grow rapidly, eventually reaching a height of twenty meters.

When the elder asked the young man if he understood why this happened, the young man admitted he did not. The elder explained: the bamboo spent all that time strengthening its roots to grow tall and strong enough to support itself.

“The external circumstances can strip us of everything, except one thing: the freedom to choose how to respond to those circumstances.” — Viktor Frankl

Understanding Resilience

Resilience, a term primarily used in materials science to describe the ability of an element to regain its original shape after being under pressure, has been adopted by social sciences to refer to human capacity to endure unexpected situations and overcome obstacles without succumbing to stress. Thus, resilience is a process of positive adaptation in the face of adversity, trauma, or significant sources of tension.

Defining Crisis

Crisis can be defined as a profound change that generates significant consequences in a process. When considering this definition, it may not sound entirely negative; in fact, it can be viewed as an opportunity. However, crises are often perceived as unexpected and catastrophic events.

Crisis situations can be classified as endogenous when their origin is internal, or exogenous when they are triggered by external factors.

How to Develop Resilience

Strengthening resilience may seem straightforward: one simply has to experience a crisis. This reality can be viewed as either good or bad news, depending on one's perspective.

We all possess this capability within us; rather than developing it, we can become aware of it and strengthen it as if it were a muscle. Crises, whether large or small, serve as routines that build this muscle, and like any other muscle, the process takes time. Therefore, patience is essential.

The first step is to accept crises. While we often tend to deny them, pretending everything is fine, this denial robs us of the opportunity to grow. It is not about broadcasting our struggles but rather recognizing them internally. If you choose, sharing your feelings with trusted individuals can be beneficial.

Accepting crises means allowing yourself to feel and express emotions in a healthy manner. This process enables you to discover different facets of yourself and connect with resources that may go unnoticed when emotions overwhelm you.

Resilience is not exclusive to famous figures like Viktor Frankl, Nelson Mandela, or Nick Vujicic. You too are resilient, even if you don't believe it.

Moreover, resilience is not a competition to see who faces the toughest crisis; it is about overcoming your personal challenges, whatever they may be. A crisis for a four-year-old is not the same as for a fifty-six-year-old, and all experiences are valid.

Life presents daily challenges of varying difficulties, and this is the gym where we train our resilience: the unpredictability of each moment.

Factors that Enhance Resilience

Key factors that contribute to developing resilience include self-awareness, impulse control, and emotional intelligence. These aspects can be refined through well-being processes and personal growth activities such as therapy and personal development workshops, where we cultivate self-awareness and acquire valuable tools to navigate life.

Getting to know ourselves better allows us to accept reality, as we can observe our strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of others and our environment. This understanding helps us analyze problems objectively, without exaggerating or downplaying our experiences.

These insights grant us the opportunity to grow through challenges and gain valuable lessons, such as developing a sense of humor, letting go of control, acting differently, and creating new self-care strategies.

Lastly, maintaining and nurturing our relationships is crucial for optimal resilience. As social beings, a significant part of our mental health relies on having support networks to help us move forward, whether they are family, friends, therapists, doctors, neighbors, or support group members.

Embracing Resilience

Being resilient does not mean ignoring what has happened or repressing our feelings, but rather moving forward despite the pain or emotions we experience, without being overwhelmed by the negativity of unforeseen events. While we cannot avoid difficult situations, we can transform how we respond to them.

In a sense, you are already enrolled in this gym called life, and without realizing it, you are following a routine for different muscle groups. You have the choice to either continue on autopilot, risking injury, or to become aware of each movement to strengthen yourself with every situation you encounter.

Psic. Ana Sujey Hernández Psicóloga clínica en CuidadosaMENTE

References:

• American Psychological Association. (2011). Retrieved from Camino a la resiliencia: https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience/camino
• Deloitte. (2016). Retrieved from ¿Qué es una crisis?: https://www.deloitte.com/es/es/services/risk-advisory/analysis/que-es-una-crisis.html