University can be a stressful time - learning how to build up your resilience can help you cope with change and stress in your university years and beyond.
This guide will help you to build up your resilience and help your wellbeing by directing you to accessible and easy to use resources and services.
Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity, to cope with and learn from negative and stressful experiences and to become stronger and more able to cope in the future. It is a trait that can be learned and developed by anyone.
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Internal Factors 1. They are resourceful and have good problem-solving skills 2. Self-management, including goal setting and persistence 3. Emotional control: ability not to dwell on negative experiences or over-react to situations 4. They are more likely to seek help 5. They hold the belief that they can do something that will help them to manage their feelings and to cope |
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY |
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External Factors 1. They have social support available to them 2. They are connected with others, such as family or friends |
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There are lots of new experiences and opportunities at University, but sometimes this can be overwhelming at first.
New situations and pressures need resilience to deal with and find a solution to worries and problems.
You might be worried about:
You are not alone and not the only person struggling – lots of other students will feel exactly the same.
Being resilient and seeing setbacks and problems as an opportunity to learn and make positive choices means you can focus your thinking and take control of the situation. Don't forget that you can also draw on all the support and advice offered at Teesside, as well as your own friends and family.
Adapted from: Poole, L. et al (2009) The Leeds Met Book of Resilience. Leeds: Leeds Metropolitan University. Available at: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/42413263.pdf (Accessed: 7 May 2020)
The following Character Lab playbook is very useful in helping to build up academic resilience:
