According to the American Psychological Association (APA), resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands. 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. Like building muscle, increasing your resilience takes time and intentionality. The APA identifies four core components—connection, wellness, healthy thinking, and meaning—to empower you to withstand and learn from difficult and traumatic experiences.

At Journey with Rita, we have developed the seven principles to guide you to resilience. These principles include Mindset, Gratitude, Connection, Purpose, Habits, Surrender, and, ultimately, Resilience. Psychological research demonstrates that the knowledge, resources, and skills associated with greater resilience can be cultivated and practiced.

While certain factors might make some individuals more resilient than others, resilience isn’t necessarily a personality trait that only some people possess. On the contrary, resilience involves behaviors, thoughts, and actions that anyone can learn and develop.