During the course of our life we may experience change, loss and problem which are inevitable. Some people successfully cope with these situations while other experience difficulties. What distinguishes these people from one another? Within psychology the capability to recover from adverse experiences and to positively adapt to stress is called resilience. Therefore, colloquially the term resilience stands for toughness and durability.
Many people have resilience as a character trait, which is in part due to genetic disposition. However, resilience can also be learned and can be built up during ones life. For some people the foundation is laid by their family ties, others develop this durability on their own. This means that everybody can influence their resilience, as long as we change some of our habits and beliefs.
Resilient people have survived adverse situations or suffered a setback, but they did not give up. In a situation of crisis they developed the necessary capabilities to master the challenges of life.
Various studies indicate that personality and resilient behaviour can protect against a depressive mood, fear and stress. Furthermore training resilience can also be as effective as medication when dealing with depression.