Resilience: A Pathway to Healthier and Happier Living

Resilience….What does it mean? How does a person acquire it? What is its relationship to disability, employment, and quality of life? These are some questions people may ponder when they hear it used in conjunction with disability, employment, and healthier living. While the expectation of being resilient following a traumatic or life changing event is an embedded value within our culture, resilience is not a topic often discussed or readily understood. It is either assumed it will just materialize or it is simply expected. Such beliefs are not necessarily helpful because there are times in all peoples’ lives when situations and events do not go well or as planned and take us by surprise; thus knocking us off our feet! When this happens, we find ourselves in a position where we might want to consider resilience