"Be A More Resilient You" - Serialisation #4 of 11

So far we have looked at what resilience is. Although resilience is a difficult concept; with sometimes contradictory definitions, we can conclude that it relates not just to you, but the environment that you operate in too. In some environments you will be resilient and your wellbeing will be good, in other environments your wellbeing may be more challenged. So, resilience is a very personalised experience. What might be good for you, may be completely the opposite for someone else.

So . . .

Step #3 – Map out your personal Environment

There are certain things that everyone has in their Environment.  These will be on your map, as they will be for everyone else.

Generic

• Sleep
• Food intake
• Fluid intake
• Exercise
• Social relationships
• Personal relationships
• Separation between responsibilities and personal life

Beyond this list, there is then a much more personal list.  Everyone’s life is different.  So, you can map out the sort of things that exist in your personal Environment.  They might include some of the following, as well as other things.

Personal

• Whether you read, and what you read
• Whether you listen to music, and what you listen to
• Managing your own diary vs Being told what to do
• Quiet vs Noisy environments
• Getting feedback regularly vs Not knowing what other people think about you
• Hobbies and pastimes
• Being outdoors vs Being indoors
• Working things out vs Being given instructions
• Extrovert vs Introvert
• Having a Religion, Philosophy or Way of life
• Your working environment
• Your home environment
• Being solitary or team-based
• Whether you play sports and what you play
• Having flexibility vs Being given a schedule
• Using social media
• Having decisions made for you vs Making your own decisions
• . . . etc etc etc . . .

Having mapped your Environment, you can now consider how each Environment impacts your Wellbeing by giving each Environment a Wellbeing Score.

Next we'll look at how to score your environment so that you can become more aware of the impact it has on your wellbeing.

You can purchase a copy of "Be A More Resilient You" from the Evenhood website. Or read the full booklet through these articles.

I wish you well — Jonathan Phelan

About Jonathan Phelan

Jonathan is the author of “The Art of the Mentally Healthy Conversation” which tells the story of how Jonathan learned how to manage the challenge of a mental health condition following a child bereavement. The book helps the reader discover how to have mentally healthy conversations, which are more likely to result in support, rather than stigma. It also promotes the benefits of workplaces, universities and schools nurturing a culture in which it is normal for people to talk about their mental health and to offer mutual support for wellbeing and resilience.

Jonathan has held a senior leadership position in a large financial services organisation since 2004, with a long-term career in law, law enforcement and consumer protection. When he went through the trauma of a child bereavement he gained an insight into the obstacles people face when they have mental wellbeing challenges. More importantly he learned how to overcome those obstacles by improving the way we talk about our wellbeing and resilience.

Through his talks, workshops and book Jonathan shares his personal story. Using the drama of how mental health has been portrayed in film, and his own particular take on how our brains process information, Jonathan guides the listener to discover more effective ways to talk about mental wellbeing.

Jonathan also promotes the concept of mutual support for wellbeing; based on the belief that we should all aim to make it normal for people to talk about their mental wellbeing, just as we are already willing to talk about physical wellbeing.