Building Resilience Into Your Life
By Dr Justine Gatt
COMPAS-W provides a framework of 6 key principles that you can adopt to build wellbeing and resilience to stress in your life:
C = Composure
O = Own-worth
M = Mastery
P = Positivity
A = Achievement
S = Satisfaction
1. Composure:
Adaptive coping strategies (active problem solving, humour, yoga) rather than maladaptive ones (problem avoidance, denial, self-blame, venting, substance use/abuse)
Am I stressed? How do you deal with stress? Build self-awareness of your body when you are stressed (e.g., racing heart, irritation)
Respond not react: take a breath, pause before reacting and consider an alternative way to respond
2. Own-Worth:
Know who you are and what you stand for: what are your values?
Healthy boundaries: preserve who you are by being assertive, daring to say ‘no’ when your boundaries are being compromised, and knowing when to seek help or support
Value yourself: have compassion for yourself and be your #1 supporter rather than worst enemy when things don’t work out as planned
3. Mastery:
Build on your strengths and overcome your weaknesses: identify weaknesses that are potential roadblocks, and things you could master
Seek opportunities for growth: step out of your comfort zone, learn new things, and empower yourself with knowledge
Be self-reliant: keep your happiness in your own pocket – do not outsource your happiness to your partners/children: they are a part of it, but you need your own interests, goals and sources of inspiration
4. Positivity:
Practice optimistic thinking: smile/laugh, have a positive outlook
Schedule time for fun! Seek out activities you enjoy and schedule them in
Positive “to-do” lists: At the end of the day/week, write lists of things you have achieved or that went well for you
5. Achievement:
Identify your life purpose, your talents and interests: What drives you? what are you passionate about? What really excites you?
It doesn’t matter what it is, just as long as it makes you happy, brings you joy and a sense of achievement
Then set meaningful goals that satisfy your needs that are not contingent on the needs of others
6. Satisfaction:
Be fit and healthy: Look after your body too – diet, sleep, exercise
Be mindful and “present” in the moment: remember the 5 senses, don’t worry about yesterday or tomorrow
Practice gratitude: for everything good and lessons learned from the challenges