Emotional resilience is the ability to successfully cope with change or misfortune.

Even when afraid, resilient people respond to life’s challenges with courage and emotional stamina. 

While we can’t always control what life brings, we can use adversity as an opportunity for growth.

Take a few minutes to take a look at this quiz in order to peak into your Emotional Resilience.  Grab a piece of paper and answer these 10 questions.

Respond True or False to the following statements to discover how well you cope with life’s many challenges.

1. When bad things happen, I think “why me?” I feel fear and self-pity; I want to find someone to blame.

2. When I feel overwhelmed by negative emotions, I overeat or drink too much alcohol, or do other things I know aren’t good for me.

3. I don’t trust I can handle adversity by myself, nor do I have supportive people I can truly count on in a crisis.

4. Even when my life seems stable, I worry that some kind of misfortune is around the corner. I also tend to create catastrophes out of the little things that happen.

5. I find it hard to feel faith when bad things happen to good people. I feel despairing, hopeless, and unable to move forward.

6. I handle everything better when I take good care of myself. Exercising raises my endorphins; eating right and sleeping well gives me more physical, mental, and emotional stamina; and setting aside time for play and positive connections makes me feel more joyful and optimistic.

7. I have faith in my ability to handle life’s challenges. At the same time, I know the importance of having loving, supportive people to help me face difficulties, large and small.

8. Even when faced with misfortune, I look for the “silver lining.” I believe that ultimately everything is in God’s hands and there’s always an opportunity from which I can learn and grow.

9. I have a powerful sense of meaning and purpose in my life that helps me move forward despite any obstacles.

10. I’m very persistent. Even when I get knocked down, I trust God’s plan for my life and eventually get back up.

How did you do? 

If you answered true more often 1-5 and false more on 6-10, you may wish to learn some effective ways to develop more emotional resilience.

Here are just three (of many) ways you can strengthen your resilience:

1.  Become more emotionally self-aware, improving your mood with exercise, good diet, play and laughter.

2.  Build self-reliance, your faith walk with God and a strong support network.

3. Develop perseverance, purpose and a more positive attitude.

Rayna Neises understands the joys and challenges that come from a season of caring. She helped care for both of her parents during their separate battles with Alzheimer’s over a thirty-year span. She is able to look back on those days now with no regrets – and she wishes the same for every woman caring for aging parents.

To help others through this challenging season of life, Rayna has written No Regrets: Hope for Your Caregiving Season, a book filled with her own heart-warming stories and practical suggestions for journeying through a caregiving season. She is also the editor of Content Magazine– Finding God in Your Caregiving Season. Rayna is an ICF Associate Certified Coach with certifications in both Life and Leadership Coaching from the Professional Christian Coaching Institute.

She is prepared to help you through your own season of caring. Learn more at ASeasonOfCaring.com and connect with Rayna on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Read other articles by Rayna