Hardiness- (APA) n. An ability to adapt easily to unexpected changes combined with a sense of purpose in daily life and of personal control over what occurs in one’s life. Emotionally resilient. “Hardiness enhances performance, leadership, conduct, stamina, mood and both physical and mental health” (APA). “Hardiness can help you get out of your head in a positive way. It can help you to have a more balanced and outward perspective, building your ability to cope, and consequently, feel better about yourself” (Firestone, Psychology Today) “Hardy people have the ability to positively appraise situations” (Kobasa, 1979). People who score high in hardiness are confident in their ability to cope with the demands of stressors and remain optimistic, making them less threatening (Wiebe & Williams, 1992). People who scored high in hardiness were found to be able to push through negative or stressful situations more effectively (Bartone, Ursano, Wright, & Ingraham, 1989; Waysman, Schwarzwald, & Solomon, 2001). So how can we develop or strengthen our hardiness? Dr. Salvatore Maddi discovered that there are certain traits people can develop and trainings they can participate in to become more emotionally resilient or hardy. Dr. Maddi founded The Hardiness Institute and authored the book Resilience at Work: How to Succeed No Matter What Life Throws at You. The book describes three C’s: commitment, control and challenge as the most important characteristics of hardiness. The training consists of teaching people how to look at life differently. It focuses on teaching people tools for coping, self-support and self-care. This brief post is just scratching the surface on hardiness and the benefits it can produce. By learning and enhancing the characteristics of hardiness, we give ourselves a huge advantage in any goal we seek to accomplish in our lives. -Caleb Campbell, M.S.- NASM Certified Personal Trainer NASM Certified Behavior Change Specialist #hardiness #stressresistance #emotionalresiliency #gotimetraining
