Mental Resilience: 3 Key Capabilities
By Sleiman “Slayman” Abou-Hamdan
Speaker, Coach, Facilitator, Psychologist
How often have you been at work feeling stressed, and not performing or collaborating at your best?
What do you tend to do in those situations?
· Do you tend to work more and more and then find it hard to relax and unwind?
· Or do you feel confused, lacking in direction and worried?
· Or do you tend to feel unmotivated, stuck or flat?
These are common feelings that we all try to manage in different ways.
What’s important to remember is that life is akin to navigating a ship, where you are the captain.
You will find yourself in calm waters sailing along smoothly. You will find yourself in rough seas holding onto to your dear life as you navigate through adversity. You might even fall in and need help getting yourself back up.
Whatever you face, you need to slow down, make space for reflective thinking, see the opportunities in your challenges to grow from them, and give yourself permission to cherish the happy times.
Your journey is unique.
My journey began in a country torn by civil war, where survival depended on my capacity to adapt, stay present, and stay confident.
Over that past 25 years, through my work as a management consultant in L&D, as a commissioned military officer, as a researcher, and as a psychologist, I’ve identified that there are three enabling capabilities that create Mental Resilience to navigate our way through life with more confidence, fulfillment and consistency.
Mental RESILIENCE
“Clarifying your current core beliefs and values will become your compass, giving you a sense of direction and certainty”
1. Commitment. Clarifying your current core beliefs and values will become your compass, giving you a sense of direction and certainty. Finding your purpose and why you do what you do will give you a sustainable and empowered internal motivation that will keep you going, in any circumstance. And this will enhance your commitment.
So what are your 5 most important values? Many of my clients talk about the values of authenticity, making a difference, the safety and security of loved ones, having a life full of adventure, and continuous learning. Take a moment now to write down your top 5 values and why they mean so much for you.
2. Engagement. You may have heard the saying that dwelling too much on past mistakes and failures can cause sadness and depression, while focusing too much on future concerns and catastrophising thoughts can cause stress and anxiety.
Q. So where is the best place to be?
A. The here and now.
That’s not to stay we shouldn’t reflect on past events and their learnings, or plan for future goals and strategies, but once we’ve done enough of that, it’s time to be engaged in the present.
Mindfulness practices can really boost this capability, so can managing distractions such as notifications and open loops where tasks are not actioned, or at least scheduled for follow up.
My recommendation is to make it a non-negotiable that you practice a daily mindfulness practice for at least 10 minutes. Mornings are a great time, followed up with visualisation of what your ideal day will look like, will really set the positive tone for the day.
3. Confidence. I believe confidence comes from knowing what your top 5 personal strengths and leveraging them on a daily basis. Ask yourself: what are my 5 top strengths? how can you bring out my strengths to overcome my current challenges and support others?
Positive Psychology research and strengths based coaching tell us that the more we leverage our signature strengths, the more fulfilled and productive we will become.
So clarify your top 5 strengths, perhaps ask your friends, colleagues or family where have they seen you show those strengths, then do more of that.
I would love to hear about how you enhance your mental resilience in time of change, in the comment section below.
For more practical tools to enhance your resilience and productivity, download the Resilience in Times of Change eBook.