Mental Toughness: Going Beyond Resilience
Mental Toughness: Going Beyond Resilience
I don't know about you, but there has been a lot happening in the world lately. The ups, the downs, the set-backs the uncertainties, the pressures. I've noticed how this has been impacting my coaching clients in challenging ways. Many of them feel overwhelmed and anxious. Some have lost their drive and direction. And others have experienced challenges in their relationships, both professionally and personally. However, through working with them over time, I witnessed their capacity to adjust and adapt.
People can “bounce back” from adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress because of their inherent resilience. Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of these adversities (The American Psychological Association, 2014).
Bouncing back implies you experience a dip (or decline) in some way and then rebound back to your original starting position. Yet, what I noticed in some of my clients was their ability to do more than "bounce back". They actually got to a place further than where they started. Their challenging experience enabled them to upgrade, so to speak.
These people committed not only to implementing strategies to support their resilience (important!), but took proactive steps to build Mental Toughness.
Mental Toughness is the ability to stay strong in the face of adversity; to keep your focus and determination despite the difficulties you encounter. A mentally tough individual sees challenge and adversity as an opportunity and not a threat, and has the confidence and positive approach to take what comes in their stride (Strycharczyk, 2015).
Building Mental Toughness takes time and consistency. In this workbook I share 3 simple exercises to help you on the path to strengthen your mental resolve. Of course, if you would like any support, ask questions, or need further guidance, you can always reach out to me at teagan@thebcw.com.au.