Andrew Chan

Resilience is the ability of a material or a person to bounce back after being stressed.

We all know people who, when subjected to stress of some kind seem to bounce back, no matter what the stress involved, or how deep it may be. We also know those who fold at the simplest of stressful times; the first little setback, and they're left collapsed on the floor.

Developing resilience depends on several factors:

1. Not taking yourself so seriously
2. Gaining a wider view of your challenges and opportunities
3. Applying a positive view of the world to the inevitable stresses and downturns
4. Taking the physical steps (more sleep, exercise, relaxation) to address physical responses to stress
5. Counting your blessings as an aid to help understand that little downturns aren't as big as you think.

No matter how positive our outlook, all of us are going to come up against the occasional challenge. The key is to keep going, keep believing, and take each stress and challenge in stride, committing to stick to it until it sticks to you.

The person who can greet each day with hope and a positive belief, no matter how gloomy the previous day might have been, is a person who will win in life's challenges.

It's all about bouncing back and bouncing higher than before.