Resilience Training, Resilience, and Neuroplasticity
Have you been in a situation recently where you feel like your brain is stuck in one place? This situation feels like you have a creative block; you are unable to think any further, and even the existing ideas seem to have come to a halt.
You are not alone in this! Lately, we all have been through this, and it is normal to feel this way from time to time. But to get back to your peak performance, you need to keep up with your resilience. There is a certain amount of stress your brain can handle, and to keep your brain in the best working shape, you have to work on stress and stress management.
Workplace wellbeing is very crucial, especially when you are a manager or c-suite executive to a company. In this position, you have to deal with all the important decisions and the employees. So don’t miss out on any single point here because this blog is all about you and your workplace wellbeing.
What Is Resilience?
If we define resilience in simple words, it is the ability to cope with the setbacks , adversity and trauma whilst finding your way through them. Being resilient is a necessity for workplace wellbeing. It not only helps you move through the difficulties but also helps your personal growth. HR Managers and C-suite executives are exclusively in need of resilience to pave the way for their company and to ensure employees are working efficiently.
One misconception about resilience is that it is definitely not that you won’t experience any difficulties; rather, it refers to how you manage it skillfully and successfully. Resilience helps in your personal growth and gives you a better and newer perspective on life.
Why Is Stress Management Necessary For Workplace Wellbeing?
The first thing we normally do when we have any hurdle is to find a distraction and to procrastinate in order to delay addressing the challenges and stressors for as long as we can. But sooner or later, we will have to face and confront these problems. At the eleventh hour, there is no solution, and it results in anxiety and panic.
So to be prepared before time through early intervention and upskilling is the best strategy to successfully manage stressors through stress management which may include mindfulness, resilience building and delegation of your low priority activities. Stress Management is essential for workplace wellbeing. In business and HR, the company’s success and downfall are entirely dependent on how the HR manager and executive will act. Get hold of your resilience as it is the best way to the regulation stress and stress management.
How Are Neuroplasticity And Resilience Related?
Historically , when there was limited awareness about mental health, it was thought that all human behaviours were innate, and there were no ways to control them. So if a person was not resilient, there was no way to develop it.
Now we know that through neuroplasticity, resilience can be achieved. Neuroplasticity is how your brain gets trained to change its neural networks by growth and reorganization. These synaptic connections can be re-synched by learning and rigorous training.
Brain Structures Involved In Resilience
Resilience comes through practice, and this helps in shaping your brain. This is what we practice in neuroplasticity—gradual learning and consistency helps in shaping the synaptic connections and controlling your nerves.
For those who are not familiar with neuroscience, here is a brief outlook on the brain parts. There are two main divisions of the brain. One part is which deals with automatic or spontaneous responses. It is also called the X part. The other one is which deals with more controlled responses. It is called the C part. In resilience, the X part is more responsible, and we help you practice controlling the X part with the C part. Though during the early stages, it is harder, but with practice, it becomes easier to learn and adapt.
Amygdala
The Amygdala is the part of the brain most responsive to emotional behaviour. Any kind of emotional behaviour is triggered by the amygdala. The neurons which extend from the amygdala are triggered due to fear and stress. When you learn to control stress through stress management strategies this results in fewer triggers from the brain. Consequently this results in heightened resilience aptitudes . Resilience capacities and behaviour develop with time as it’s not instantaneous but with repeated application of approaches boosts neuroplasticity through enhanced methods which help to train the brain.
Psychological Strategies That Boost Resilience
Neuroplasticity is not achieved in a day. It requires a lot of resilience training and consistency. Here are some of the common practices and strategies which will help you in workplace wellbeing training.
1. Seek More Exposure And Reconsolidate
The first thing to overcome fear, anxiety and avoidance is to seek exposure. Interact with people around you , do things that you that have been putting off and talk about the goals you want to achieve. Reconsolidation is critical in resilience building . If you don’t have a larger span of reconsolidation, then practice by setting a 4-hour reminder, and then you can slowly expand upon this.
2. Sleep Hygiene
Being overworked and not getting enough sleep is one of the main causes of creative block. Try to sleep for at least 6 to 8 hours a day. This will help your brain refresh, and you will wake up the next day with a brighter mind.
Moreover, sleep deprivation can lead to psychological disability, high blood pressure, and other health problems.
3. Relaxation Exercises
To keep your brain relaxed, there are many other exercises you can practice. The best ones are meditation ,yoga and progressive muscle relaxation. This helps boost your attention span and also makes your impulsive reaction to things a bit less impulsive. This is the core thing we are looking forward to when achieving peak performance.
4. Stay Prepared Before Time
One of the main reasons for elevated stress and poor stress management is that people lack preparation in advance of workrelated matters such a boardmeetings , consultations or reviews. Individuals may prevaricate and leave everything for the last minute, and if any mishaps arise, it leads to anxiety.
So, it is better that you stay prepared beforehand. A great example of such a sudden problem is that of COVID. Researchers say that companies that had sound plans and were prepared did not face much loss.
5. Social Connection And Support From People
Social connection is critical in resilience as vicarious learning can take place which bolsters resilience. It is better to have a circle of people in business rather than a single person handling it all. It divides that responsibilities and two minds are always better than one. Even in case of emergencies, it is better to have a sound crisis communication plan. “44% of companies admitted that their main loss in pandemic was due to lack of good communication with the team.”
6. Emotional Disclosure
Many psychologists have claimed that people who opened up about their past emotional or traumatic experiences have better mental health than those who kept it all to themselves. One of the best things to help resilience is that emotional disclosure helps in acceptance rather than denial and is the foundation for stress management and of our Rivers to Resilience Training Model.
7. Cognitive Reappraisal
The best workplace wellbeing training exercises are cognitive training. Cognitive reappraisal is when you reframe or reconsider an event with a different perspective so that reduces the impact upon you and your organisation. Cognitive reappraisals and modification facilitated neuroplasticity. Restructuring maladaptive and self-limiting beliefs is very effective in dampening the effect of the amygdala, which has a direct connection with resilience.
8. Mindfulness Training
People who deal with stress through stress management can benefit from mindfulness training by being more present, non judgemental and accepting of current experiences. Mindfulness can be integrated in your daily life through mindful walking , eating, sitting or breathing. Try staying in the moment and focus on what you are doing when tempted to worry or overthink. Mindfulness results in minor structural and functional changes in the amygdala.
Why Should Employees, Managers, C-Suite Executives Invest In Boosting Resilience?
Now that you know what resilience training is and how you can practice it. Here are a few reasons why employees, managers, c-suite executives should invest in boosting resilience.
- One of the best reasons is that you will achieve workplace wellbeing and increase performance, productivity, happiness and creativity.
- Productivity and peak performance are also great benefits in a business which are achieved through resilience training.
- You will certainly experience enhanced profits in your business with better ideas and communication with your team and reduced sickness absence and presenteeism
- Reduced levels of stress and effective stress management strategies . Once this fear is faced and less overwhelm is experienced or eradicated , you can do wonders for the business.
Is Investing In Neuroplasticity Worth It?
Is there anything else you are skeptical about when investing in neuroplasticity and resilience training? We will suggest you take our word for it and practice these things on your own. You will see a visible difference, and if you get professional help, it will surely have better results.
Bottom Line:
Workplace stress and Anxiety can eat up your sanity, but now you have a few bitesize tips to help with managing it.
Nobody gets a paved way to success, and it is quite certain you will have to face difficulties and challenges on the way. The best thing is to have control and be aware of your mindset and nerves. Don’t let it get to your head and adversely impact upon your abilities. Resilience training is the solution and change you need today. Begin applying these strategies and you’re guaranteed to observe improved performance, productivity and quality of work and personal life.
If you or your employees are struggling then give resilience training a shot. You will surely see positive sustained change.
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References & Citations:
- https://deloitte.wsj.com/articles/c-suite-insights-5-attributes-of-resilient-organizations-01611604929
- https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience
- https://djcs-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/public/blogs/deloitte/blogs.dir/7/files/2021/01/9689-1.png
- https://www.veritis.com/blog/how-c-suite-can-build-human-resilience/
- https://www.veritis.com/blog/how-c-suite-can-build-human-resilience/
- https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/697956
- https://drtruitt.com/neuroplasticity-overcome-and-create-a-resilient-brain/
- https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Brain-regions-involved-in-resilience-to-stress-Depicted-in-this-figure-are-brain-regions_fig1_236910099#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20reported%20that,2013%3B%20Kim%2DCohen%20and%20Turkewitz
- Resilience training that can change the brain ;Golnaz Tabibnia