Emotional Resilience- Hardiness

Hardiness

Challenge. Stress-hardy people view stress as a challenge that they can potentially overcome if only they can understand it properly. Their habit of looking at stress as a challenge to be overcome motivates them to address the causes of their stress in positive ways. This active approach to stress may be contrasted with the more common approach, where stress is viewed as an unfortunate, overwhelming or even paralyzing force that overwhelms rather than motivates.

For a dancer, instead of letting an adversity to seem overwhelming and stressful, would help to look at it as a challenge to overcome once they know how to approach it fully. E.g injuries- knowing how to recover, knowing to be assertive and diligent to rest properly, rehabilitate properly and stay strong minded, focused and positive. This mind set helps with the healing process.
Another example: hard steps can create mental blocks and fears. This only crates a bigger barrier to the blockage where often it is just in the mind. This is when the term ‘mind over matter’ becomes very useful. To be able to accept that it will take time to improve, and improve/change one thing at a time will eventually get you towards achieving that step building up your strength physically and mentally.

Personal Control. As a group, emotionally hardy people tend to accept challenges and to work to overcome and master them. Even when true mastery of a challenge is not possible (e.g., when a situation is not possible to control), hardy people work to find what possibilities do exist for mastery and pursue them. When faced with the loss of employment, a hardy person would seize upon opportunities for exploring new employment options rather than become depressed and demoralized.

·      Need to truely accept challenges and work around ones can’t control. E.g. rejection for a role in a ballet- perhaps look at other opportunities and roles that would challenge you in other ways. Perhaps prove the directors you are fit for the role. Look at other positive aspects in life and work separate to that dissapointment.

Commitment. Part of the reason hardy people are able to stay in the game and persist in their coping efforts is because as a group they are committed to an active, engaged stance towards life. They feel that their life has purpose (whatever shape that may be), and that purpose motivates them to actively attempt to influence their surroundings and to persevere even when their attempts to influence their surroundings don't appear to be working out. A person who has no purpose in life – no motivation and no commitment – will not be able to lead a resilient life. On the other hand, resilient people find meaning in their activities even when faced with significant adversity precisely because they are committed to finding that meaning; towards taking an active, problem-solving approach to life.

Having a purpose motivates a dancer! When a dancer feels like they fit in, or have a purpose in their position with a company and perhaps with the role they are currently doing, this inspires them to continue and work the best they can towards a goal (technique etc.) When it feels ‘right’

I find that when you don’t feel accepted, it is harder to keep in the game, perform at your best and so feelings spiral down, negative emotions brood and you feel unsettled. Therefore it is so important to have a good attitude towards the situation. Staying committed, and remembering why you are there would help.

To develop an emotional hardiness, and deal with stress, it involves looking at adversity as more of a personal challenge to overcome. Do it for you, and not for someone else. Or if it involves someone else, you are the main reason still.

"...the emotionally hardy approach to job burnout involves redefining your goals so that they are more inspiring, identifying what you can do to accomplish them, and then pursuing those goals with determination until you get some results"

Example: look at burning out at work. Same as overtraining (mostly during rehearsals.) Emotionally hardy people try to find root of burnout and cause, to take action to remedy it.

Dancers, who are more sensible, are aware of what their body is telling them-notice when it is too much to push further. Others that ignore have risk to injury, or a negative mindset towards their approach to tough rehearsals or progressing through a stage.

Mills, H., Dombeck, M., June 2005. Emotional Resilience, MentalHelp.net (online). Available at:
http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=5791&cn=298