Stress-Hardiness


The Traits of Stress-Hardy, Resilient People

  1. They have a sense of meaning, direction, and purpose. They are value-centered rather than reactive and defensive. They understand that emotions are great sources of energy and motivation but are often poor guides for action. Instead these people use their values as guides.
  2. They realize that the quality of our lives depends on how we focus our energy and our attention. They try to align their thoughts and actions with their values. They know how to motivate themselves to take action.
  3. They don’t judge themselves or others harshly when things go wrong. They focus on what they want, not on what they don’t want.
  4. They are able to tolerate ambiguity, uncertainty, and imperfection. They have a long-range perspective, so they give themselves and others room to grow. They can afford to be resilient, flexible, and creative because they are centered in their values.
  5. They are reasonably optimistic and have a sense of humor. Even though they are dedicated to doing things well, they don’t take themselves too seriously.
  6. They take responsibility for their mental programming, their emotions, and their actions. If they have ineffective ways of thinking and behaving, they evaluate them and make appropriate changes.
  7. They look at adversity as a challenge rather than as a threat. They realize that no matter how the present situation turns out, they will learn and grow from it.
  8. They respect themselves and other people. They have a spirit of cooperation, looking for win-win solutions rather than trying to win over other people or ignoring their own wants and needs because of fear.
  9. They are grateful for the good things in their lives.
  10. They know how to mourn the inevitable losses in life. They know how to let go of things they have no control over.

4 Responses to Stress-Hardiness

  1. Toni says:

    I may have to print and post it next to computer AND mirror in bathroom…maybe even fridge door!

  2. Sammy says:

    Jean didn’t get a message about my comment

  3. Angel says:

    I like this collection of traits. They’re interesting in that resilience in someone might be tricky to recognized if they weren’t collected like this into a package. This is a useful thing to have done. I’d like to see you develop this more.
    Perhaps to attach stories to give a context to each of the points?
    I could contribute if you’d like to develop this…?

    • Jean says:

      I like it the way it is, but I would love to hear some of your stories, how you integrate ideas like these into your life.

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