You read that right, resiliencing is not a typo! Resiliencing is what I call the habits and actions that help us move through life’s challenges.

I have supported people and organizations with change for much of my career. In the past few years, I have noticed things feel different.

People talk about facing many changes all at once, needing to keep on top of shifting expectations, experiencing tensions and friction, and feeling an overall sense of pressure to accomplish more, faster.

And they’re not wrong. Change is accelerating. The Accenture 2024 Pulse of Change Index evaluates the rate and nature of change affecting businesses globally. They use multiple global data sets as well as survey responses from more than 3,400 C-suite executives from 20 countries. According to the index, the rate of change and disruption has grown by 183% between 2019 and 2023. In addition, 88% of the executives surveyed predicted even higher rates of change for 2024.

As an unfortunate result, many people are experiencing overwhelm. Overwhelm can deplete our energy, leave us feeling scattered and unproductive, and if left unchecked, it can lead to burnout or other impacts on our mental health.

So, what can we do?

Resiliencing includes a set of habits and actions that help us move forward and stay well when life feels challenging. We can’t cover it all here, but let’s begin with some ideas that can help reduce individual overwhelm:

1. Begin with self-awareness

A good place to start is taking an honest at our current state and our current habits.

Ask yourself:

• What feels challenging for you right now? Make a list of the things you may be stuck on or worried about.
• What do you typically do or not do when facing challenging and difficult situations? Notice your habits and patterns. Think about what is working for you and what isn’t.

I use an evidence-based Resilience Profile assessment to help people and teams understand their current resilience strengths and potential areas to work on. I integrate this assessment with a learning experience that helps people reflect, reset, and support each other in adopting and practicing new resiliencing habits.

Starting with an understanding of what’s already working for us and learning about other resilience skills and strategies can help us get more comfortable and capable when moving through change.

2. Control the controllables

Sometimes we spend a lot of time and energy on things we can’t control. This takes away the energy we could spend in more productive ways.

Take a pause when you’re feeling overwhelmed to answer the following questions in 3 columns:

• What do I have no control over?
• What can I indirectly control, through preparation or influence?
• What do I have direct control over?

This allows us to either let go, accept, or reframe the parts we have no control over. And to invest our energy in the parts we can control or influence.

3. Activate your resilience muscles

The next step is choosing actions to reduce overwhelm and move forward.

There are seven key resilience characteristics (or muscles) that can help. Which muscles to use depends on your challenge and current state.  

The muscles include:

• POSITIVITY – Finding hope and possibilities in challenging situations
• CONFIDENCE – Using your strengths and skills to influence and meet the challenge
• PRIORITIES – Getting clear on your goals and what matters most
• CREATIVITY – Coming up with a wide range of possibilities and ideas
• CONNECTION – Drawing on others for resources and support
• STRUCTURE – Creating order and getting organized to stay on track
• EXPERIMENTING – Trying new approaches to see what might work

Choosing and using the muscles that will help us most is a key part of resiliencing. Think about something that is feeling challenging for you right now. Which muscles are likely to help you most?

4. Monitor and replenish your energy

It’s also important to notice our personal signs of overwhelm so we can take care of ourselves.

Change and challenge can be draining. If we keep pushing without taking a break to refresh, we will most likely keep feeling worse and our progress will be blocked.

Monitor: What are your signs of overwhelm?

I’ve heard a variety of signs from my workshop participants:

• Feeling scattered
• Procrastination
• Impatience and conflicts
• Making mistakes
• Exhaustion
• Poor sleep
• Eating too much or too little
• Negativity

Replenish: What helps you replenish your energy?

Some ideas I’ve heard in workshops I’ve facilitated include:

• Regular exercise
• Walking in nature
• Dance breaks
• Being with friends, children, pets
• Hobbies
• Laughter
• Music
• Meditation

Take a moment to think about how you replenish your energy and make time for it in the days and weeks ahead. More often than not, doing so helps us come back feeling refreshed.

As a result of change, many of us are feeling overwhelmed. I’ve shared with you 4 habits you can use to reduce overwhelm and meet life’s challenges – begin with self-awareness, control the controllables, activate your resilience muscles, and monitor and replenish your energy. These resiliencing habits can prevent burnout in our important work as changemakers.

References

https://www.accenture.com/content/dam/accenture/final/accenture-com/document-2/Accenture-Pulse-of-Change-2024-Index-Executive-Summary.pdf

Luminus Learning Building Your Resilience Toolkit

Prosilience: Building Your Resilience for a Turbulent World. Linda Hoopes, Decatur, GA, 2017