PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Nov. 13, 2020 - Lynn Bentley, President, Knobull, Inc. announced, "Resilience is the 'shock absorber' factor: the ability to bounce back from an event that causes adversity.
Students need to understand that how one thinks can be affected by emotional response to the situation. Part of being aware is understanding this and recognizing it when it happens."
The following is a model that lays out the steps affecting resilience:
Adversity —> Attitude —>Consequences
There are times that an emotion is so visceral that there is no time to go through this process rationally: a person simply reacts immediately to the situation by withdrawing, becoming angry or other similar reactions. The benefit of understanding that thoughts lead to particular emotions is the ability to identify the emotion felt and understand what the subconscious thought processes may form a particular attitude.
Being alert to falling into one or more thinking traps can help many to "respond" effectively: in other words, thinking traps can prevent us from acting with resilience. Examples include:
• "I just can't do math"
• "I've never been able attempt things like that"
• "They've taken it away from me"
Bentley continues, "By understanding the elements of resilience, and the process of responding to situations, it may now be helpful to consider what should be done to develop emotional resilience.
Response engages the rational part of the brain for decision-making about a challenging situation. It is best to pause and actively gather more information as the basis for a decision. Thinking about alternatives, checking those against reality by asking questions of others, searching for alternatives or looking something up, will help to ensure that one responds appropriately to the situation."
By responding rather than reacting, a student will become more aware of circumstances surrounding any adversity, and the ensuing thought process (awareness). This will also help to apply rational thinking to the situation, by climbing out of any thinking traps, and understanding and rationalizing emotional response to a situation.
A major portion of resilience is knowing when and how to ask others for help resolving challenges. The Knobull Web App provides an academic search engine, messageboard for collaboration, and direct links to multiple academic sources as support tools to help build resilience!
Bentley concludes, "To face challenges and respond appropriately requires drawing on all resources, both internal and external, including personal connections. The good news is that use of available resources can help to develop resilience."
The Knobull Team thanks skillsyouneed app for many of the ideas included in this review.
