Building Personal Resilience
Page updated: 19/06/2025
Resilience refers to how well you can deal with and bounce back from the difficulties of life. It can mean the difference between handling pressure and losing your cool. Resilient people tend to maintain a more positive outlook and cope with stress more effectively.
Research has shown that while some people seem to come by resilience naturally, these behaviours can also be learned. Whether you're going through a tough time now or you want to be prepared for future challenges, you can build resilience by:
Here are our top tips for building resilience:
Understand your strengths, weaknesses, and triggers for stress. Self-awareness helps you recognize when you're feeling overwhelmed and allows you to take proactive steps to manage your emotions effectively.
Cultivate relationships with colleagues, mentors, friends, and family members who can provide encouragement, advice, and perspective during challenging times. Having a strong support network can help you navigate difficulties more effectively
Embrace change as an opportunity for growth rather than something to fear. Develop flexibility in your approach to work and be open to new ideas, technologies, and ways of doing things.
Break down larger goals into smaller, achievable steps. Celebrate your progress along the way and adjust your goals as needed based on changing circumstances.
Gwella eich gallu i adnabod a mynd i'r afael â nhw problemau trwy ymarfer meddwl beirniadol, creadigrwydd, a dyfeisgarwch. Ceisio allan cyfleoedd i ddatrys problemau yn annibynnol ac ar y cyd â lleill.
Prioritize your physical and mental well-being by getting enough sleep, eating nutritious meals, exercising regularly, and engaging in activities that bring you joy and relaxation. Taking care of yourself helps build resilience and enables you to better handle stress.
Focus on the aspects of situations that you can control and influence, rather than dwelling on things outside of your control. Practice gratitude and optimism, and challenge negative thoughts with more balanced and realistic perspectives.
View setbacks and failures as learning experiences rather than personal shortcomings. Analyze what went wrong, identify lessons learned, and use that knowledge to improve your approach in the future.
Be open to feedback from others and use it as an opportunity for growth and development. Continuously seek out opportunities for learning and skill-building to enhance your resilience over time.
Incorporate mindfulness meditation, deep breathing exercises, or other stress management techniques into your daily routine to help you stay grounded and centred, especially during challenging situations.
If you’re not sure where to start or would like to find out more, we would recommend browsing Academi Wales’ Mindfulness Series. Here you will also find some great courses, events and learning resources on a wide range of topics.
Building your own resilience
To learn more about personal resilience and wellbeing, we recommend that you complete the Personal Resilience e-Learning module. This module has been designed to help you think about your own resilience, particularly within the workplace, and how it can be improved.
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