Why Is Resilience Practice Essential for Academic & Personal Success?

Resilience Practice for Children & Adults Cultivates Safety, Strength, & Support

A sense of safety is essential for learners to engage in academic experiences. When the body’s nervous system is overstimulated or understimulated, overwhelmed or underwhelmed, the brain is often focused on basic survival needs, the most paramount being safety, and is not as able to focus on academics, responsibilities, or conscious decision-making. However, when the nervous system is in a state of calm-alertness, the brain can shift toward social engagement, allowing us to move into learning mode, achieve our goals, and make wise choices. Safety refers not only to the physical safety of the body, but also to the psychological safety of our sense of self. “Psychological safety is the feeling that one is comfortable expressing and being themselves, and sharing concerns and mistakes without fear of embarrassment, ridicule, shame, or retribution" (Karina D Torralba, Donna Jose, John Byrne). The body responds to thoughts and beliefs the same way it responds to the physical environment. When we feel there’s too much risk, or not enough trust to be our whole selves and engage in active learning, it initiates a stress response in the body and the nervous system shifts toward fight, flight, freeze and away from restored, rested and ready.

The qualities & abilities of resilience are just like our muscles, the more we practice, the stronger we get. Strengthening our kindness muscles, as well as our generosity & gratitude muscles is an evidenced-based approach to enjoying a greater sense of choice, ease, calm, and happiness in our daily lives. Through embodied practices, such as self-soothing movements, imagination practice, & deep breathing, we strengthen our muscles of self-regulation allowing us to access, recall, and apply the pro-social skills we know. When everyone is engaged in cultivating strength in self-awareness, self-management, self-regulation, & responsible decision making, we flourish as a community able to support each other through enhanced social awareness & relationship skills built on empathy & compassion.

Regularly cultivating resilience-building skills increases the ability of young people & adults alike to be able to recognize their nervous-system state (how they’re feeling) and choose practices that will bring them into better balance. Building resilience benefits all people everywhere, regardless of age, in every area of our lives. When each of us builds resilience individually, we can build it collectively. Resilience is catchy and when practiced across the community, positive reinforcement abounds and all people can thrive.