Have you ever heard the term resilience? In psychology, it’s defined as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant stress. And when it comes to kids, it’s critical we understand how to promote it.
Below are the 7 Cs of resilience and how you can use them to help children thrive.
The 7 Cs of Resilience
Competence
Help your child feel competent by nurturing their strengths and talents. Doing so will boost their self-esteem and encourage them to be brave and travel outside their comfort zone. Ultimately, this leads to the development of new strengths and talents in the future.
Confidence
When kids feel confident, they’re more empowered to navigate new things, are better able to bounce back from tough situations, and are more likely to be persistent in the face of challenges.
You can promote confidence by encouraging kids to explore age-appropriate tasks to discover their gifts.
Connection
Helping kids stay connected provides them with the sense of community and the security critical to facilitating feelings of self-worth, purpose, and belonging.
Help kids connect with others who share their interests through clubs, sports, youth groups, friends, and school events.
Coping
Coping methods are anything we use to navigate, eliminate, or overcome complex challenges or emotionally stressful situations. You can promote healthy coping by educating kids on the importance of beneficial coping mechanisms, providing examples, and giving them opportunities to practice their newfound skills.
Control
Create opportunities for kids to feel in control. Doing so will help them develop critical thinking skills and provide a sense of capability, contributing to their growing confidence and competence.
Character
Character comes from awareness of personal values, what’s right and wrong, and ties closely into confidence and control.
You can help your child build character by enhancing self-esteem with strength-based work and by teaching skills of empathy and caring for others. Point out to kids that they have the power of choice and can make “wise” decisions towards their values rather than away from them.
Contribution
When kids contribute by giving back, like through volunteer work, they learn that the world is better because they are in it. And when we reinforce their contribution by saying thank you and offering appreciation, we strengthen that positive behavior and increase their willingness to make choices that improve their environment, thereby enhancing their competence, character, and sense of connection.
Try brainstorming with kids about projects or volunteer work they’re interested in that make a difference. Then, support them in pursuing those activities.
Need support?
We provide a wide range of wraparound mental health services to support caregivers and help kids heal. Contact us online or call 1-406-245-6539 to learn more about help available through Youth Dynamics.
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