When resilient people face hardships, they don’t crumble under the pressure. Instead, they find strength in a greater purpose and come back even stronger than before.
“They find resilience by moving toward a goal beyond themselves, transcending pain and grief by perceiving bad times as a temporary state of affairs,” According to Hara Estroff Marano, editor at large of Psychology Today.
People who are resilient know how to adapt to failures and tragedies instead of letting them break them. Here are seven habits of people who know how to face adversity and move on with their lives stronger than before:
1. They Have a Strong Sense of Purpose.
Resilient people aren’t quitters. They are persistent and habitually so. “Knowing what one wants is the first and, perhaps, the most important step toward the development of persistence,” As Napoleon Hill stated in “Think and Grow Rich,” a bestseller.
2. They Are Self-Reliant.
According to Hill, individuals who are resilient believe in their ability to see their purpose through, which allows them the strength to keep going after difficult times.
3. They Have a Support Network.
Although self-assured people who can depend on themselves are generally successful, this doesn’t mean they don’t have close relationships with others. In fact, research demonstrates that maintaining intimate ties with friends and loved ones affords a sense of belongingness and enhanced self-esteem, as well as creates a supportive network during difficult times – all of which diminish stress levels.
4. They Are Accepting.
People with resilience know that difficult times, Setbacks, and tragedies are unavoidable facets of life, but they continue living because they process their pain instead of ignoring or unconsciously suppressing it. “Acceptance is not about giving up and letting the stress take over, it’s about leaning in to experience the full range of emotions and trusting that we will bounce back,” Brad Waters, a writer for Psychology Today, discusses this interesting topic.
5. They Are Optimists.
People who are successful seldom wallow in self-pity or negativity. “What the resilient do is refrain from blaming themselves for what has gone wrong,” According to Marano of Psychology Today, “In the language of psychology, they externalize blame. And they internalize success; they take responsibility for what goes right in their lives.”
6. They Turn Adversity Into Opportunities for Growth.
The philosophy of Stoicism, as ancient as it is, teaches us to see adversity, not as a roadblock but as an opportunity. In “The Obstacle Is the Way,” Ryan Holiday highlights several real-life cases where people have followed this mindset and triumphed. He references Nassim Taleb, who defines a Stoic as “transforming fear into prudence, pain into transformation, mistakes into initiation, and desire into undertaking.”
7. They Take Care of Their Health.
According to psychologist Karen Horneffer-Ginter, resilient people know how to manage stress so it doesn’t gradually weaken them. She emphasizes that exercise and meditation are two excellent ways to reduce anxiety and clear the mind. “Unplugging and stepping off the wheel of our doing can offer just the reset we need to re-find our center,” she says.
Business Insider was the original publisher of this article.
Photo: Thinkstock
