How to develop your emotional resilience

Do you ruminate for days after a difficult incident at work? The good news is you can learn to improve your coping skills and bear work stresses more lightly

Although physical or emotional abuse at work is never acceptable, many patients have a lower sense of social nicety when unwell or stressed, so, sometimes you may be on the receiving end of harsh comments as patients vent their frustrations. On top of this you may face volatile ward dynamics and the demands of an under-resourced environment.

The skills required to cope with these pressures cannot be learnt from a clinical textbook, instead you need to build up what is known as ‘emotional resilience’: the ability to maintain well-being and performance under pressure and bounce back from setbacks or bad days.

Monitoring your resilience