The Power of Resilience

The Positive Psychology Wellbeing Toolkit for Nurses Series - The Power of Resilience

This is the eighth article of The Positive Psychology Wellbeing Toolkit for Nurses Series

Key points

• Resilience is sometimes referred to as grit and although linked is a separate concept
• Factors that assist nurses in developing resilience include: building positive professional relationships; maintaining positivity; developing emotional insight; achieving a work–life balance; and becoming more reflective
• The workplace presents many natural opportunities to nurture resilience through education and practice in clinical settings

This eighth article outlines a range of resilience based interventions that recognises the importance of maintaining staff wellbeing.

Conceptually, resilience has been recognised since the 1800s but really only began being studied in the 1970s because of the increasing interest in the field of psychology. Resilience is a construct that is used in positive psychology because it is a multidimensional factor. It refers to an individual’s