What is resilience
the resilience donut
Resilience is defined as an individual or groups process of continual development of personal competence - it is navigating and negotiating life with the resources that you have in the face of adversity. Personal well being during times of difficulty is maintained where a person continues to pursue goals that link to their life meaning. (Worsley, 2015)
There are three categories of how a person sees him or herself in the world: I have - I am - I can. Each of these contribute to a persons internal level of resilience.
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In the "Resilience Donut" Model when these internal characteristics ( I have, I am, I can) are linked together by a common purpose or meaning, the potential for sustainability, recovery and personal growth through adversity is increased. This potential is maximised when the person is able to additionally draw from three external or contextual resilience promoting factors:
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ON RESILIENCE: EBOOKThe label "resilient" is one many of us tend to shirk away from, claiming that it doesn't quite fit us. But resilience is not a special occasion quality or skill - resilience is happening when we get up in the morning even though we have been going through a rough patch; it is happening when you apply for the tenth job, after being turned down for the other nine. It comes in many shapes and sizes, and is often so necessary for our daily survival, that we fail to recognise this remarkable trait within ourselves...
read more about resilience in seven women's stories. |
"For much of my life, resilience looked like one of those plastic Bozo the Clown toys. You knocked them down and they popped right back up - and I followed suit, whether the blow was physical or emotional. Over and Over.
Now resilience manifests differently, with far more grace. It’s clear to me that it is the ability, yes, to rise over and over again, no matter what life may bring - and more than that, the intention to choose living over stagnancy, light over shadow, love over fear. It is what allows us to heal ourselves, each other and the world." Christa Gallopoulos Creative at large Huffington Post |
"We rarely think about resilience until faced with a crisis. Cancer was my crisis. Yours might be a lost job, a lost love, a stubbed toe. Regardless, here is what I know. We all have an infinite capacity for resilience. Resilience is not painting over the tapestry of your life with rainbows and unicorns. It’s about looking beyond the surface to what lies beneath. Resilience is the hard work we do every day to see something -anything-beautiful in the ugly reality of life.
Jenn McRobbie Author of Why Is She Acting So Weird: A Guide to Cultivating Closeness When a Friend is in Crisis |