WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE RESILIENT?
There is a great show on Netflix at the moment, Physical 100. 100 of the greatest physiques in Korea are brought together to compete head-to-head in a series of challenges that will test their athletic ability and determine what is the best physique.
Now, let’s be honest, they are ALL Physical Specimens! And where one physique may have the advantage in one task, another will have an advantage in a different task. Therefore, what separates these beasts?!
Their mentality. It can be argued that a good mentality is required to form any of these physiques, and that may be true, however, there is a clear divide between a good mentality and a great one. And one defining characteristic that separates these two mentalities is the level of resilience they possess.
Resilience is not fixed! It is on a sliding scale, a scale which is influenced by components such as:
The environment
Duration
Perceived ability
For example, an individual may show a high level of resilience…
…at a competition but not in training.
…at the start of a training session compared to the final 10 minutes.
…on a leg day because they have good leg genetics, but not on chest day because they have poor chest genetics.
Therefore, athletes with a great mentality are resilient in a variety of contexts regardless of their perceived ability and remain resilient for the duration of a task.
ARE YOU CHALLENGED OR THREATENED?
The resiliency of an athlete is rooted in the perception that you have around a task.
IS IT A CHALLENGE OR A THREAT?
If you perceive a task as a threat, this is often because you do not believe you have the tools required to complete the task. As a result, an athlete will approach the task with less resiliency, thus experiencing defeat before they even start.
If you perceive a task as a challenge, this is often because you perceive yourself to have the correct tools to succeed in the task. As a result, an athlete will approach the task with a resilient mind, thus setting themselves up for success before they even start.
HOW CAN WE SHIFT FROM THREAT TO CHALLENGE?
Develop your sources of confidence to inform your perception of having the tools to succeed.
Perceive failure as an experience to learn and grow, through solution planning.
Compare your threat vs challenge performances - what state allows you to perform well?
Focus on tasks that contribute to performance - set a series of process goals that you have control over.
Shift your self-talk towards positivity, opportunity, and achieving marginal gains.
CREATE A RESILIENT ENVIRONMENT
Resiliency can frequently originate and grow from the environment that the athlete is in. This means that your coach can greatly impact how resilient you’re in your training.
There are two core pillars to creating an environment that fosters resiliency…
…SUPPORT AND CHALLENGE
As you can see, these two pillars form four groups that people commonly fall into:
Stagnant Environment - Low support and low challenge
Unrelenting Environment - Low support and high challenge
Comfortable Environment - High support and low challenge
Facilitative Environment - High support and high challenge
In a stagnant environment, the athlete will experience little growth, as challenge and support are not present.
In an unrelenting environment, the athlete will experience a high demand for growth, but this is paired with minimal support to facilitate this growth.
In a comfortable environment, the athlete will experience a high level of support, but they will continue to coast as there is minimal challenge for growth.
In a facilitative environment, the athlete will be appropriately challenged and supported, thus creating an environment that allows for resiliency to be developed.
It is therefore important, that as a coach we provide this supportive and challenging environment, whilst as athletes, we need to seek these environments when looking for the right coach.
Resiliency is not a fixed construct, people can be resilient in one area of their training, but not another. I would love to hear your reflections on your own resiliency, so please feel free to share them in the comments! If you would like help to develop mental skills that will cultivate this great mindset through fostering resiliency, then please get in contact with me at robin@autonomypsychology.com
Best Wishes
Robin Hughes
Mental Performance Coach and Sports Counsellor located near Chelmsford, Essex, UK supporting athletes, exercisers, and coaches worldwide with Online Sports Psychology Services. Specialising in working within the fitness industry.
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