Are you going through hard times?

By:  Gail Wagnild

Time to read:  2 minutes

Are you going through hard times? Here is a brief 12-item Resilience Response Scale that you can use to predict what to expect from your own wellspring of resilience. How are you going to adapt to stress in your life? What can you expect from yourself?

In order to apply the Resilience Response Scale to your current situation, think back to other times of crisis and hardship and reflect on how you managed to get through. You might remember events like illness, accidents, divorce, job loss, and death of someone close to you. How did you manage?  What did you learn about yourself?

Respond to the 12 statements below. There is no final score to tally because each item is to be carefully considered on its own.

This brief survey will give you insight into how you can also expect to get to the other side of whatever you might be going through right now. And you will get to the other side smarter, stronger, and more resilient.

Think back to other times of crisis and hardship. How did you do?

1. In time, I bounced back.
2. I was flexible and able to adapt to changing circumstances.
3. I relied on my spiritual beliefs to give me comfort and strength.
4. I grew stronger.
5. I dealt with problems head-on.
6. I didn’t give up.
7. I didn’t let setbacks stop me from moving ahead.
8. I knew when to ask for help.
9. I was confident I would make it through.
10. I didn’t lose sight of what was important.
11. I was able to let go of things I couldn’t control.
12. I was able to take things one day at a time.

© 2020 The Resilience Center/Gail Wagnild

Your responses to the 12 statements above will help you see how rich your resilience capacity is right now and strengthen your resolve to get through this stronger and more resilient than before.