Can you teach resilience? What makes one person more resilient than the next?

I imagine it's so they can say that they've done something to help as opposed to actually wanting to help. A bit like the posters they stuck up in the toilets at work to say we shouldn't take things home with us and that thinking of one good thing we've done that day will erase the sheer hell of the shift 😆

I haven't read the whole thread, but I'll assume other posters have pointed out that it is the ability to cope and bounce back from the normal stresses of life. Some jobs/experiences/contexts are more than normally stressful, so suggesting that a 2 hour webinar or some yoga supports resilience is insulting, and actually adds to stress. There is also mounting evidence that the "wellness" industry does more harm than good.

If I had a sum of money to spend on something to ease stress I'd use it to make the break room more pleasant, quiet and comfortable. That only helps if people are allowed take their breaks, though...

Rubbish.

They've asked for resilience training? What an odd request.
No, I don't think it can be taught. But that's because I was just like that, my mum says, even as a young child. Content, but resilient my mum says.

Wow! That was a ramble.

The OP said that her ICU colleagues wanted TRAINING in Resilience. Did you read the original post?

Also interested to see that you consider the Military Medics who work in the NHS as just "authoritarian"

The training the OP wanted was in Resilience..... NOT empathy.

Can't but help notice that there is a huge similarity between what medical staff in the NHS staff have to deal with and what forces personnel have to go through. Thanks for pointing that out.

@WarmthAndDepth I second this. I have had the most horrendous experiences pile up over the last 10 years. Most people I known say I couldn't cope with that. And I say, I don't have much choice. Because I don't quite have the inclination or will to actively top myself. There are also others this would impact. I'm not going to just die in my sleep even though I often wish I would. This isn't resilience.

And I'm not depressed. My situation is utterly hellish. Alot of these workers will be dealing with multiple issues, including the environmental they are working in which impacts their responses ( time off sick, apathy, MHealth crisis, physical illness).

You absolutely can and I have attended more than one useful resilience courses in my time!

Its about understanding your feelings and reactions to things and building confidence in the unknown.

There are many companies that offer this so I would Google and take a look.

Yes to this!

The system we are making you work in is so fucked up we will now allocate resources to gaslight you into self blame and to ' just try harder '.

I loathe the fixation on resilience. I'm naturally a fairly resilient person who bounces back from set-backs relatively well; this often comes up as a positive in performance management etc.

What keeps me showing up for the absolute shower which is my current situation, aspects of which have been rumbling on for over a decade, is trauma and the deep certainty that I can't not keep on. The stakes are too high to ease off. People say "Warmth, you've so much on your plate, I couldn't cope with that." Neither can I, but there's no choice. That's not resilience.

Can the money be used to give staff a day off? A day away doing something to reinvigorate that has nothing to do with work.

This just stinks of plastering over a gaping wound.

I don't believe you can teach resilience. I believe alot of hideous experiences do build resilience over time for many.

I believe some people have personality types that are more resilient. An individual with a high sensitivity proclivity will potentially suffer more in the face of suffering ( their own and others) and therefore become so affected physically and mentally by certain experiences that they have less capacity for resilience than say a narcissistic personality who won't feel empathy in the same way.

It's just too complex to do a stupid training session on. It's also incredibly belittling to poor staff members who may be off sick, struggling with their mental health or diagnosed and undiagnosed Neurodivergent dealing with burn out.

Maybe the training could highlight the above.

I don't know if you can teach resilience but supporting people through events, or even every day issues, is what I try to do at work as a manager.

I'm very "resilient ", but that just means I've been able to handle everything life has thrown at me. So far.
Am I no longer resilient if something happens to knock me down and I can't bounce back next time?
We're all different.

Honestly @knowitall69? So, and this is my perspective, you take a group of people who are overwhelmed and overworked. Perhaps they've seen difficult things or experienced tragedy. You don't know what's going on at home. Maybe they're ill, or their children are sick, or their parents are unwell - there could be a myriad of reasons - and instead of offering support you implement an authotarian military-style approach that totally ignores empathy and doesn't consider people as individuals. Having someone from the army saying "well I did XXX" in Iraq (which bear in mind a lot of people still don't agree with) so you should be able to cope" invalidates their feelings. It would not increase the productivity of stressed employees. Believe me.

Why?

I think in the NHS the word resilience has been used incorrectly in putting the responsibility onto an individual to "deal" with the utter crap conditions they work within as opposed to looking at the system as a whole and the failings and challenges within it. It becomes a stick to beat yourself up with.

Why?

I think it may be the worst. It's totally insane.

Horse poo.

I think that's the single worst idea I've seen lately on Mn, or close to it.

Rubbish.

That sounds - and I say this kindly - like an absolutely horrific idea to underpaid, overworked NHS workers.

Rubbish

Rubbish.

Rubbish.

Without wanting to sound like a Daily Mail columnist, I do think the awards for all culture in schools doesn't help, kids need setbacks. We learn from them and learn how to cope with disappointment. If a child falls over maybe don't pick them up straight away, my youngest would fall off his bike and put his arm out and thumb up and say I'm OK. Clearly, if he stays down and is badly hurt, I'll give him all the love in the world, but I think they need challenge and failure as part of a childhood that prepares them for the world. How you do it retrospectively for adults... I haven't a clue.

It's not about teaching to be resilient, it's about raising awareness of what it means to be resilient, looking at examples, and exploring ways to build it gradually for those who conclude they could become more so.