Researchers agree that resilience is an important character trait for all individuals, especially students. It enables them to cope with challenges and adversities such as harassment. Harassment can take many forms, including bullying, discrimination, sexual assault, and cyberbullying. Students who are resilient have better mental health and wellbeing than those who lack this trait. In fact, research shows that they recover faster from traumatic events and perform better academically. So how do students develop resilience? Here are four ways to cultivate it:
Practice Self-Care
Self-care involves engaging in activities that promote physical and emotional wellness. This could include exercise, meditation, deep breathing exercises, getting enough sleep, and eating nutritious food. These practices help reduce stress and improve mood, which makes it easier to deal with negative situations. In addition, they create a sense of control, so students feel less helpless when faced with adversity. They also provide an opportunity to recharge and refocus after experiencing trauma.
Develop Coping Skills
Developing coping skills involves learning how to handle difficult situations without losing control or becoming overwhelmed.
Students can practice mindfulness by taking a few moments each day to observe their thoughts and feelings nonjudgmentally. They can also learn relaxation techniques like progressive muscle relaxation, which helps calm the body and reduce tension. Another useful strategy is cognitive restructuring, which involves identifying negative thoughts and replacing them with more positive ones.
Seek Support
Students need support networks to cope with harassment. This includes family members, friends, teachers, counselors, mentors, and other trusted adults. Talking about what happened can be helpful because it allows students to process their experiences and get feedback on how to move forward. It's also important to seek support from people who are non-judgmental, empathetic, and understanding. Students should not feel ashamed or embarrassed to ask for help when they need it.
Learn From Experience
Students who have experienced harassment can learn valuable lessons from the experience. This could involve reflecting on what went wrong, how they responded, and what they could have done differently. They can also use the experience to gain insight into themselves, others, and the world around them.
They may develop greater self-awareness, empathy, and resilience. They might even discover new strengths that they didn't know they had before.
Developing resilience takes time and effort, but it's worth it in the long run. By practicing self-care, developing coping skills, seeking support, and learning from experience, students can become more resilient in response to harassment. Of course, no one method works for everyone. The key is to find what works best for each individual and stick with it until they see results.
How do students develop resilience in response to harassment?
Students may develop resilience in response to harassment through various methods that involve their cognitive, emotional, social, and behavioral domains. Cognitively, they can engage in rationalizing activities such as identifying personal strengths and skills, recognizing supportive people around them, and developing effective coping mechanisms for stress management. Emotionally, they can practice positive self-talk and maintain optimism in order to build confidence and self-esteem.