Resilience: The relationship between Resilience and Stress

I have always considered myself to have a high level of resilience and not really a ‘stress’ person. I put this down to my time in the Royal Marines, where I was often placed in extremely high pressure and stressful positions. Being physically fit, mentally prepared was always an advantage. Also, the ‘black humour’ between mates where we could always find the funny or positive side always helped maintain resilience. 

However, with the unknown and difficulties of the recent pandemic I realised that I was under a new form of pressure and I was not immune to feeling mentally and emotionally stressed out. I had to reassess my coping mechanisms and daily routines to help deal with these new stresses. 

Having and maintaining a good level of resilience has many health benefits, both physically and mentally. It helps keep a healthy immune system; you may often notice colleagues who seem to be more resilient have less time off due to sickness. Studies also show that people with a high level of resilience are less likely to suffer from depression, unlikely to have erratic mood swings or engage in destructive behaviour. 

When you are resilient you are much better at managing stress. This can be anything from a challenging work project or timeframe, to illness and even parenthood. Sometimes as good as it may seem or feel, reaching for that wine on a Monday/Tuesday night because you are ‘stressed’ are poor coping strategies, this will lead to your resilience falling away and less stressful situations will become difficult to deal with. 

Common signs of stress

• Headaches and other body pains
• Difficulty in focusing
• Unprecedented fatigue
• Irritability or moodiness
• Rapid weight gain or loss
• Poor short-term memory
• Stiffness in the neck, jaws and other areas
• Making poor choices

Practising mindfulness and using your support network are great ways to deal with stress and build your resilience. Self awareness and being in control of your mental and physical actions will help you manage more effectively stressful situations; a higher level of resilience will have a positive effect on your physical and mental health.

To book a mindset and resilience workshop to help alleviate the stresses of the workplace and build a positive mindset, please contact us on info@sofitgroup.co.uk