What does resilience mean?

What does resilience mean?

Resilience is a characteristic that can be attributed to many people, without them realizing it. This is because some adjectives are more common than “resilient”, such as “strong”, “courageous”, “fearless”. However, resilience can be the union of all this, in a way.


Think for a moment about all the people you've ever met and consider what characteristics listed above can be attributed to them. Then think about yourself too. If I asked you, would you say that you are a resilient person or that you know someone with this characteristic?


To better understand what defines a resilient person and what attributes this quality encourages in someone, continue reading the content we have prepared. From there, you will have one more quality to add to your vocabulary, both to refer to yourself and to someone else!


What does resilience mean?

Perhaps you have already seen one of the meanings of resilience during a physics class at school. That's right! Resilience is the name of a property that defines a body that is capable of returning to its original shape even after being subjected to elastic deformation.

When we talk about resilience in a psychological sense, however, we are talking about a person's ability to recover even after a very challenging situation. That is, as bad as it is a challenge, it doesn't have enough strength to permanently harm someone's well-being.

In this sense, resilience is an important quality that helps us to better deal with times when our plans go wrong or when we are facing a very stressful situation. Even if this kind of problem is not easy to solve, it can't be bigger than us!


What is the advantage of being resilient?

Being a resilient person is a fundamental characteristic in many aspects of our lives. In the realm of relationships, for example, it is easier to find a solution to conflicts and restore tranquility in the relationship. At work, resilience allows a person not to let himself down when something doesn't go as planned.

Thus, the main advantage of being resilient is to develop the ability to solve problems in any part of life. Often, this behavior can be associated with courage, strength or determination, which is not wrong. But it's resilience that sums it all up most accurately.

Characteristics of a resilient person

Now that you understand why resilience is an important quality for a person, find out if it is present in your personality!

1) Ease of resolving conflicts


Resolving conflicts is much easier when we have resilience. From the ability to return to who we really are, even in the face of challenges, we become stronger and more aware of the situations we live in. In this way, we can open ourselves to dialogue more easily, knowing that there is more than one way of looking at an issue.

2) Flexibility to deal with change

Changes are part of everyone's life and we need to know how to deal with them so as not to despair in the face of unforeseen events. Someone who is resilient knows what to do in times of crisis, because they have no trouble finding new perspectives.

3) Optimistic thinking

Optimistic thinking is not synonymous with not thinking realistically. In fact, a resilient person prefers to believe that everything can work out, even if they encounter eventual problems along the way. And if it goes wrong, you know you can find a solution.


4) Ability to learn life lessons

Faced with a difficult situation, we must not be discouraged or believe that everything will always go wrong. A resilient person is able to absorb the lessons that life teaches and, from that, accumulate repertoire to solve future problems.

5) Good self-esteem

A resilient person is a person who has high self-esteem, who believes in himself and knows what he is capable of, because he recognizes that not everything will always turn out the way he imagines, but there is always a way to deal with it and solve everything.

Characteristics of people with low resilience

People with little resilience, unlike those with this quality, may face some difficulties in life. Find out what their characteristics are!


1) Frequent negative thoughts

Frequent negative thoughts happen when a person feels that they will not be able to resolve difficult situations if they arise. That's a trait of someone who hasn't yet developed all the resilience he could have.

2) Difficulty improvising

In many situations in our lives, it is necessary to have the ability to improvise and find quick solutions for something that did not go according to plan. Without resilience, however, it can be very difficult to come up with a new plan.

3) Lack of persistence

Lack of persistence is one of the worst consequences of having little resilience. Faced with the first challenge, for example, a person will believe that he has no capacity to overcome it and that it is better to give up. But most of the time, there's another way to solve whatever it is!

4) Little creativity


Creativity is present in resilient people because they learn from their mistakes and from life situations. On the other hand, those who have not yet developed this skill can find themselves with no way out in many moments, unable to visualize scenarios different from what was planned.

5) Insecurity to resolve conflicts

For a person who is not very resilient, resolving conflicts will be a nightmare. She will likely think that everything is lost and that a relationship or project that has gone through a problem cannot be recovered. You have to believe that we can find a solution for everything!

How to be resilient at work

Resilience in the work environment is a differential in a professional. Through it, it is possible to better deal with tension, pressure and moments of crisis, in addition to having a good relationship with colleagues.

To have career resilience, start by believing in your potential. If you've been chosen for a task, it's because they know you're capable of doing it, even if it's a little difficult.

Another key point to developing your resilience at work is asking for help whenever you need it. Recognize that different perspectives on a situation can lead to a quicker resolution to unforeseen circumstances.

Finally, maintain a good relationship with people who are in the same environment as you. Show them that you can help them when needed, adapt to possible changes and be proactive when something doesn't seem to be going well.

Tips for being resilient

Once you understand that being resilient is a good trait and that it can help you in all areas of your life, learn how to develop it!

1) Learn to stay calm

Keeping calm is essential to observing a situation as rationally as possible. You can do this by practicing meditation or controlling your breathing, for example, in order to release tension from your body and pay attention to ways to solve something that is not working.

2) Listen to other opinions

By listening to other opinions about a situation, it is possible to know different ways to solve something. We won't always have all the answers, but we can meet people who know how to deal with the problem we're facing. Learn to listen and feel the difference!

3) Develop your empathy

Empathy is the ability to sympathize with another person's pain. By doing this, you will develop your ability to resolve conflicts, as you will analyze the problem considering the feelings of others. That way, it will be easier to reach a consensus on something.

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4) Boost your self-esteem

Good self-esteem allows you to look for ways out of a challenge with more confidence that they can actually work. On the other hand, if you believe that you don't have the ability to resolve a situation, you will hardly have the mental strength to deal with it.

5) Exercise your ability to solve problems

Exercising your ability to solve problems is something that can be done with games like crosswords or logic questions and that will help you a lot in everyday life. When a challenge arises, remember that you have the ability to analyze the situation and look for a way to resolve it.

Resilience is a trait that will increase your quality of life significantly. With it, you will realize that no problem is too big and that the strength within you can help you solve countless situations. Believe in your potential and exercise this skill more and more!


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