Resilience training

Overview

Resilience means being able to be OK again after something tough happens. Being resilient helps can help you handle trauma, illness and other stresses.

If you are less resilient, you are more likely to get stuck on problems and not feel able to handle them. You're more likely to be anxious and depressed.

Resilience training teaches you how to focus on the better parts of life and adapt to tough events. It gives you tools to handle problems that come up. Being more resilient can improve your quality of life, increase emotional strength, and lessen stress and worry.

Why it's done

Life is filled with highs and lows. Lows such as illness, loss and other stresses affect everyone. How you respond to these events has a huge impact on the quality of your life.

But anyone can learn how to think, act and behave with more resilience. You can't control all that happens in your life. But you can learn to adapt to life-changing events. Resilience can teach you to focus on what you can manage and give you the tools you need.

Risks

No risks have been found for resilience training.

How you prepare

You can become more resilient in many ways. Most often, resilience training includes creating healthy habits, such as these:

• Build strong relationships with loved ones and friends.
• Do something that gives you a sense of purpose, such as helping others.
• Be hopeful about the future. Accept that change is part of life.
• Look at what you've used to cope with troubles in the past and build on those strengths.
• Take care of yourself. Tend to your needs and do things you enjoy.
• When you have a problem, don't ignore it. Make a plan and take action.
• Be grateful. Look for the good in your life.

What you can expect

Building resilience takes time and practice. You can try different things, such as meditating or writing in a journal to help you stay on track.

And part of being resilient is knowing when to ask for help. Talking with a licensed mental health professional might help you move forward.

Results

Becoming more resilient can help you adapt to change and handle life's stresses. It can help you cope better with illness, which can lead to healing. Resilience can help you grow as a person, feel better about yourself and improve the quality of your life.

Clinical trials

Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions.