Resilience is an increasingly prized asset for individuals, teams and organisations. To be resilient at work, individuals need to develop a range of positive habits, both psychologically (e.g., taking the time to think things through) and physiologically (e.g. getting enough sleep).

Utilising these strategies can help individuals to not just avoid stress and burnout, but also face challenging situations, learn from these experiences and keep pressure positive. We seek to understand resilience from both an individual and organisational perspective. Specifically, how developing “resiliency” can improve and enhance an individual’s experience at work, as well as helping to create happy, productive and engaged teams and organisations.

Therefore, resilience is the key to not just coping with unwanted change and stressful circumstances, but to thriving and flourishing in work and in life. However, the most important message is that personal resilience can be developed. It is not something simply present in some people and lacking in others, nor is it something that remains unchanged once a person reaches adulthood.

At a personal level, you can change your views, habits and responses to pressure by modifying your thoughts and actions and increasing your openness to change. We would describe this as “developing a resilient attitude”.

Here are some practical tips and exercises for enhancing personal resilience:

* Find your sense of purpose — Having structure, commitment and meaning in your life will help make you more resilient. A clear sense of purpose helps you to assess setbacks within the framework of a broader perspective. This can be achieved by considering “who” and “what” is important to you when you feel stressed and under pressure.

* Develop your problem-solving strategies — The way individuals perceive situations, solve problems and manage change is crucial. Take a step back and think how you approach managing difficult issues and how often your judgement is clouded by emotional responses and irrational thinking.

* Self-awareness — Reflection fosters learning, new perspectives and a degree of self-awareness that can enhance your resiliency. Developing a belief in yourself and your capabilities can be achieved through looking back at memorable and challenging experiences (both positive and negative) from your professional and personal development.

* Embrace change. Flexibility is an essential part of resilience. By learning how to be more adaptable, you’ll be better equipped to respond when faced with unexpected work challenges, as well as a life crisis. This often involves getting outside your comfort zone, through increasing your curiosity and openness to new experiences both in and out of work. Resilient people often take an adverse event as an opportunity to branch out in new directions (e.g. a redundancy as an opportunity to set up your own business).

* Become a continuous learner — Learn new skills, gain new understanding and apply them during times of change. Do not hold onto old behaviours and bad habits, especially when it’s obvious that they don’t work anymore. Start thinking about what drives you these old behaviours and bad habits and whether the “safe way” is always the most helpful.

* Get enough sleep. When you feel stressed, it can be all too easy to neglect your own needs. Losing your appetite, ignoring exercise, and not getting enough sleep are all common reactions to both everyday pressure and a crisis situation. By taking care of your own needs, you can boost your overall health and resilience and be fully ready to face life’s challenges.

* Take positive action — In situations of increased work pressure it can be extremely difficult to still do the things you enjoy. People often focus on solving the challenge at hand and may work longer and later and to their own detriment overlook other parts of their life. You will feel revitalised if you take positive action and do the things that make you feel good about yourself, even when you feel like you lack the energy to do so.

— The writer is business psychologist and consultant at Ashridge Business School, Middle East.