In part 3 of our well-being series we are going to look at resilience.

What is resilience?

“Resilience is not simply a person’s ability to bounce back but their capacity to adapt in the face of challenging circumstances, whilst maintaining a stable mental wellbeing.”

We believe resilience is something that can change over time and that we, as individuals, have the power to change it” MIND

Three elements that are essential to resilience according to leading psychologist, Susan Kobasa:
1. Challenge – Resilient people view a difficulty as a challenge, not as a paralysing event. They look at their failures and mistakes as lessons to be learned from, and as opportunities for growth. They don’t view them as a negative reflection on their abilities or self-worth.
2. Commitment – Resilient people are committed to their lives and their goals, and they have a compelling reason to get out of bed in the morning. Commitment isn’t just restricted to their work – they commit to their relationships, their friendships, the causes they care about, and their religious or spiritual beliefs.
3. Personal Control – Resilient people spend their time and energy focusing on situations and events that they have control over. Because they put their efforts where they can have the most impact, they feel empowered and confident. Those who spend time worrying about uncontrollable events can often feel lost, helpless, and powerless to take action.

“Being resilient isn’t about hiding your emotions, it’s about having the ability to bounce back quickly.” – Greg Savage

Building resilience starts right at the beginning of your day. You must start as you mean to go on. Ask yourself the following questions:
• What does your morning routine look like from waking up to starting work?
• Is there anything that gets in the way of having a proper morning routine?
• What about when you arrive at work?
• How do you ensure you and your team get the best start?

This week’s well-being top tip… Do your most important task first!
This could be work that requires creative thinking, a task that you hate doing or simply your most urgent task.

It is important to decide what your process is when it comes to identifying and executing what your most important task is, and then just simply ensure that it gets done first!

Benefits of this activity:
Doing your most important task first helps you to keep focused on your priorities. Often if it is a task you hate doing, getting it out of the way at the start of the day can give you a real sense of achievement to set you up for the rest of the day once you get it done.

Let us know if you try this tip and what benefits it had on you!