2020 tested everyone, but learning to bounce back from professional difficulties is a fantastic skill – whatever the future holds.

All of us have had to draw on our resilience this year. Many have lost our jobs or faced financial losses, and had to quickly adapt to more challenging ways of working. The good news is that being able to dust yourself off after a professional knock is a fantastic skill to have in your arsenal. “There was some research a few years back that looked at factors in career success, and resilience was one of them,” says Dr Carole Pemberton, Founder of Coaching Solutions and author of Resilience: A Practical Guide for Coaches. “Women need more of it than men, possibly because women’s careers tend to be less predictable than men’s for various reasons.” While there will undoubtedly be other tests in store in the future, finding out the ways in which you’re already resilient – and bolstering others – will ultimately help you get to where you want to be.

What Exactly Is Resilience? It’s harder to define that you might think, as resilience is really a combination of other attributes. “Resilience is an outcome, made up of a number of different qualities like optimism, being clear about why something matters, and having access to support,” says Carole. When you’re having a wobble it’s easy to assume you’re not a resilient person, but it’s likely you already possess individual elements of resilience. Remind yourself of dramas and hardships that you’ve got through in the past, and try to identify the elements you’ve already nailed. “Even when things are tough, you might be good at setting goals, or at being flexible or creative,” advises Carole. “Ask ‘what do I know I have that helps?’ And then, ‘what’s the bit that tends to need attention under pressure?’”

The good news is that it’s a muscle you’re building every time things go badly – and 2020 was full of that! “It’s about learning strategies that we know will help us get through difficult times,” says Carole. “For example, what did you learn in the first lockdown that helped you in the second?” Another element of resilience is developing a good balance between your work and the rest of your life (that constant struggle!) “I’ve noticed that the people I work with who have been most resilient have been in the wellness industry, because they’re modelling behaviours that they coach to others,” says award-winning business strategist Joelle Byrne . “One of my clients is a personal trainer, and she was able to launch a new digital product during lockdown, stay present in her work and social media, while still taking care of herself and having time out when she needed it. That, for me, is resilience.” While an element of resilience is already in-built (for example, if you naturally produce more serotonin you’re likely to be an optimist) there’s still plenty you can work on with these steps.

Skills For The Future

Get Focused On Your Goals It might be easier said than done if you’re feeling bruised by a recent disappointment, but try to spend some time drilling down into why you really want that new job, promotion, or whatever your current goal is. “When you’re really clear about why something matters, you will become determined, and that helps you cope with ups and downs. When we lose that, our resilience leaks away,” says Carole. “Ask yourself: why does this matter to me now?”

Ask For Help “We know when people have support they can deal with really tough issues. Having the courage to say ‘I’m struggling’ will help you be more resilient,” says Carole. “We’re often willing to offer it, but asking for help is equally important – and it’s something you can learn to do.” If you’re too nervous to start within your work environment, practice asking for what you need with family members and friends. Don’t forget that by opening up, you’re also making it easier for others to do the same.

Learn To Manage Your Emotions (And ‘Sub Emotions’) It makes total sense if your emotions have been up and down this year. “We’re triggered more easily under pressure, and a lot of our worries happen when we project forward – we might think ‘this is always how this is going to be’,” says Carole. “It helps to notice the range of emotions you experience in a day. We only talk about our ‘headline’ emotions, so if someone asks how your day was you might say it was bad, but actually you will have experienced a range of emotions. You might have felt good after a meeting, or have come up with a good idea.” Noticing these ‘sub emotions’ will help stop you projecting as much.

If Things Are Really Bad Right Now…

Try To Distract Yourself If you’re job hunting without luck, or desperately worried about being made redundant, it can be incredibly hard to focus on anything else. But if you can try, it will ultimately help both your mood and productivity. “If you can say to yourself, ‘even though things are really bad, I can still get pleasure from…’ whatever your hobby is, it can help,” advises Carole. “There’s evidence that when you do things that have nothing to do with looking for jobs, it helps you experience yourself differently, and you bring that different self back to the job search.” And there’s another possible advantage: “A hobby or side hustle you enjoy might mean you can start to generate cash rather than spending it – plus using your brain means you won’t start festering [on worries],” says Joelle.

Write About It “Express all the emotions you probably wouldn’t say out loud on paper – you can be as unreasonable as you like,” says Carole. “There’s research to show that people who are able to put things down on paper start to change their thoughts and feelings, and are more effective in the job market. Do it for a week or longer, and then look back and see if things have changed since you started.”

Join the Digital Sisterhood

We have launched the Digital Sisterhood to provide women everywhere with the community and support they need at the moment. Be that a safe space to ask questions – and receive honest answers – or somewhere to find a digital event that will offer you the information, or perhaps the encouragement, you need to get you through the coming days and weeks. We’re here for you, so please do head to  digital.allbrightcollective.com  to claim your 14 day free trial and join our community.