What does resilience mean? Here's what the American Psychological Association says:
"Life may not come with a map, but everyone will experience twists and turns, from everyday challenges to traumatic events with more lasting impact, like the death of a loved one, a life-changing accident or a serious illness. Each change affects people differently, bringing a unique flood of thoughts, strong emotions and uncertainty. Yet people generally adapt well over time to life-changing situations and stressful situations — in part thanks to resilience.
Psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting well in the face of difficulty, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or school stressors. As much as resilience involves "bouncing back" from these difficult experiences, it can also involve profound personal growth.
While these challenging events, much like rough river waters, are certainly painful and difficult, they don’t have to determine the outcome of your life. There are many aspects of your life you can control, modify and grow with. That’s the role of resilience. Becoming more resilient not only helps you get through difficult circumstances, it also empowers you to grow and even improve your life along the way."
