Psychology says if you've overcome these 8 obstacles, you have a resilience most people will never develop - Silicon Canals

"Remember that moment when everything fell apart? When you couldn't see how you'd possibly get through it? I've been there. Actually, I've been there multiple times. The layoff that came out of nowhere during media industry cuts. The health scare at thirty that turned out to be nothing but left me shaking. The months of freelancing while questioning if I'd ever feel secure again."

"But here's what psychology tells us about professional setbacks: They force us to separate our worth from our work. The American Psychological Association notes that adapting to significant sources of stress like job loss actually builds our capacity to handle future challenges. Those four months of freelancing and questioning everything? They taught me that I could survive without the safety net I thought I needed."

"Back then, I thought these experiences were just bad luck. Now I realize they were building something invaluable: A resilience that psychology tells us most people never develop. According to research from the American Psychological Association, resilience isn't something you're born with. It's forged through facing and overcoming specific challenges. And if you've made it through these eight particular obstacles, you've developed a psychological strength that sets you apart."

Resilience is a psychological strength forged by confronting and overcoming specific life challenges rather than an innate trait. Major professional setbacks, such as sudden layoffs and months of precarious freelancing, force separation of self-worth from work and build adaptive capacity to handle future stress. Health scares and periods of uncertainty provoke reevaluation and tolerance for ambiguity. Research from the American Psychological Association links repeated exposure to significant stressors with increased ability to adjust and thrive when circumstances change. Surviving eight particular obstacles cultivates durable adaptive skills that enable recovery, flexibility, and sustained functioning under new pressures.

Read at Silicon Canals