The 4 Types of Resilience

Every so often, a new 'buzzword' becomes popular in everyday culture. If you look to Google, social media, webinars, articles, self-help books, the news, or just plain everyday conversation, the 'Resilience Movement' can be found everywhere. But what is resilience exactly? And what is it not? This module will define resilience as a construct and explore its many components. But even though resilience is now 'trending', it is not new. Numerous individuals throughout history have lived extraordinary lives despite insurmountable obstacles, and their stories are inspiring and uplifting. There have also been many devastatingly tragic events in history that put people to the ultimate test for survival. In this module, we will examine both. Finally, we also look at today's pop Essential Meaning of resilience (noun) Pronounced "ri-zil-yən(t)s" 1: the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens. i.e. "The rescue workers showed remarkable resilience in dealing with the difficult conditions." 2: the ability of something to return to its original shape after it has been pulled, stretched, pressed, bent, etc. i.e. "Cold temperatures caused the material to lose resilience." Nature or Nurture? The trend among multiple articles and media sources is to either classify resilience as something innate that we are all born with and only access when required or as something that is built and learned over time. Review the following resources that define resilience to compare and contrast these two views. Take the time to consider these different perspectives regarding how one acquires resilience and how they might apply to your own lived experiences. Resilience is a dynamic process wherein individuals display positive adaptation despite experiences of significant adversity or trauma. This term does not represent the individual's personality trait or attribute. Rather, it is a two-dimensional construct that implies exposure to adversity and the manifestation of positive adjustment outcomes. The 4 Types of Resilience The word resilience is often used to represent overall adaptability and coping, but it can be broken down into four categories or types. Physical Resilience – Physical resilience refers to our body’s capacity to rise to physical challenges, maintain stamina, and recover efficiently and effectively when damaged. Our body also can meet physical challenges when they arise, such as sickness or accidents, to heal or manage ongoing physical health conditions. Mental Resilience – Mental resilience is about thinking flexibly, weighing options, considering alternatives, conceptualizing step-by-step means to reach a goal, understanding different perspectives, and creative problem-solving. Mental resilience also refers to our ability to meet challenging circumstances by creating viable alternatives and being innovative and flexible with our ideas and thinking—the ability to work with change to develop solutions to issues. Emotional Resilience – Emotional resilience is how we manage our emotional response to challenges and deal with our feelings and 'negative' emotions like anger, fear, vulnerability, or sadness. Emotional resilience is connected to emotional intelligence, emotional awareness, perseverance, acceptance, and optimism. Emotionally resilient people tend to accept adversities with flexibility and the attitude that times are tough, but they will get better. Emotional resilience allows people to find positive things when circumstances seem grim. Social Resilience – Social resilience stems from connecting with others socially. It may include catching up with a friend, working in a team, networking, or getting involved with your community. It is all about our connection to others and supporting each other through difficult times. Community, family, and friendship support are essential when navigating personal or collective challenges. Social resilience is built on trust, diversity, tolerance, and respect. Resilience's 6 Domains The related components of resilience have been divided into six distinct domains that explain the specific factors that make a person resilient. Vision, Composure, Reasoning, Tenacity, Collaboration, and Health. VISION The most important of the domains, Vision, is about your sense of purpose, goals, and personal vision for yourself. The reason this is the most crucial domain is that all other domains are guided by what it is you want to achieve. Having clarity in this domain allows you to be decisive when facing tough choices and to maintain perspective when facing challenges. Whether your goals relate to family, work, or a side project, what’s essential is being specific and clear. COMPOSURE It’s about regulating emotions. The brain's 'fight, flight, or freeze' response flares up when facing conflict or hearing about a sudden change at work, school, or in life in general. But being able to overcome that instinctive emotional response and maintain your composure often means being able to recognize hidden opportunities and solve problems in novel ways. This is because becoming emotional prevents you from correctly accessing your critical thinking ability. REASONING Creativity and innovative problem-solving are beneficial when facing challenges along the way. This is what the Reasoning domain is all about. This domain needs Composure to keep your cool and Vision to know what goals to direct your actions toward. TENACITY Persistence is the key. Learn from mistakes. Rarely will we do things right the first time. And even when doing something we know well, eventually, we will make a mistake. At home, with friends, or at work, errors creep in everywhere, but what is important is how we react to mistakes. Admonishing ourselves doesn’t help. Instead, we must look at our mistakes objectively, find lessons in them, and not define ourselves by them. The past is there to learn from, not to dwell on. COLLABORATION We are social beings. The brain has a deep fundamental need for connection with others to thrive. The brain has dedicated neural structures to recognize facial expressions, while mirror neurons fire within the brain to help us empathize with others. We are, after all, in this together, so what we do and focus on is not just for us but to help our communities together and improve our world. This connection is what the Collaboration domain is about. HEALTH The foundational domain. Good health means looking after your body through what you eat, exercising, and getting quality sleep. A healthy body provides a strong foundation for your resilience so you can focus on your sense of purpose and goals. Good health is not the ultimate goal, but it is an enabler to achieve your larger personal vision. Healthy nutrition, quality sleep, and regular exercise are still crucial! Resilient Individuals These three individuals have stories of remarkable resilience despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela born July 18th, 1918, and died December 5th, 2013, was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by fostering racial reconciliation. Globally regarded as an icon of democracy and social justice, he received more than 250 honours, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. He is held in deep respect within South Africa, where he is often referred to by his Thembu clan name, Madiba, and described as the "Father of the Nation". Terry Fox After losing his right leg to cancer at age 18, Terry Fox decided to run across Canada to raise awareness and money for cancer research. With the use of a customized running prothesis, he set out from St. John’s, Newfoundland, on 12 April 1980 and covered 5,373 km in 143 days — an average of 42 km (26 miles) per day. He was forced to stop his Marathon of Hope outside Thunder Bay, Ontario, on 1 September 1980, when cancer had invaded his lungs. He died one month before his 23rd birthday. Malala Yousafzai Malala Yousafzai, born on July 12, 1997, is known for human rights advocacy, especially the education of women and children in her native Swat Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northwestern Pakistan. On 9 October 2012, Yousafzai and two other girls were shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in an assassination attempt in retaliation for her activism. The attempt on her life sparked an international outpouring of support for her. After her recovery, Yousafzai became a prominent activist for the right to education. In 2014, she was the co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. In 2015, she was the subject of the Oscar-shortlisted documentary He Named Me Malala. The 2013, 2014 and 2015 issues of Time Magazine featured her as one of the most influential people globally. In 2017 she was awarded honorary Canadian citizenship and became the youngest person to address the House of Commons of Canada. Historical Events of Great Adversity Slavery in the United States Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, people were kidnapped from the continent of Africa, forced into slavery in the American colonies, and exploited to work as indentured servants and labourers in the production of crops such as tobacco and cotton. The Great Depression The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world, lasting from the stock market crash of 1929 to 1939. The Holocaust The Holocaust was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe, around two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population. All the world's a stage. And all the men and women merely players" - William Shakespeare What is Pop Culture? Members of society generally recognize popular culture (also called pop culture) as a set of practices, beliefs, and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a society at a given time. Pop culture has a way of influencing an individual's attitudes toward specific topics. The common pop-culture categories are entertainment (such as film, music, television, and video games), sports, news (as in people/places in the news), politics, fashion, technology, and slang. Key Takeaways • Resilience is a dynamic process wherein individuals display positive adaptation despite experiences of significant adversity or trauma. This term does not represent an individual's personality trait or attribute. Instead, it is a two-dimensional construct that implies exposure to adversity and the manifestation of positive adjustment outcomes. The word resilience is often used to represent overall adaptability and coping. Still, it can be broken down into four categories or types: Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Social. The related components of resilience have been divided into six domains that explain the specific factors that make a person resilient. Vision, Composure, Reasoning, Tenacity, Collaboration, and Health. Learners were asked to reflect on their resilience using these six domains. The lives of three historical individuals who showed remarkable resilience in the face of insurmountable obstacles were examined. Learners were asked to reflect on these individuals' lives and identify common qualities these three individuals may possess that contributed to their resilience. Historical events of great adversity and tragedy were explored through the lens of resilience and survival. Learners were also asked to identify some important lessons they may have learned from reflecting on these tragic events and the lives of those who survived them. Pop culture is everywhere. We can see representations of today's resilience in many forms, such as poems and the spoken word, art, dance, music, books for children and adults, songs, and Hollywood films, to name a few. Watch for other examples of resilience displayed to the world through pop culture. Resilience is the core strength you use to lift the load of life. - Amit Sood, MD Opening Thoughts The science of human resilience is based on psychology and neurobiology. We will examine how these fields of study relate to resilience by first doing a quick overview of the neurological aspects of resilience and then looking at psychological resilience in more depth. We will examine early research that identified factors that contribute to psychological resilience. We will move on to later studies that described resilience as a process, and finally, we will explore the work of today's resilience researchers. In this module, we will also examine nature's resilience to disturbances. Animals, plants, and ecosystems can adapt, repair, and recover from threats. In ecology, resilience is defined as the capacity of an ecosystem to respond to a disturbance by resisting damage and recovering quickly. The loss of an ecosystem’s ability to recover from a disruption, whether due to natural events such as hurricanes or volcanic eruptions or human influences such as overfishing and pollution, can damage and endanger that ecosystem. It is through resilience that these ecosystems can recover and sometimes even strengthen after they are disrupted. Lastly, this module will highlight one way to connect with nature, ShinrinYoku. Neuroscience Neuroscience is a complex multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developmental biology, cytology, computer science, and mathematical modelling to study the nervous system, how it develops, its structures (including the brain, spinal column, and nerves), and what it does. It is often used to attempt to understand the human nervous system about behaviour and learning. Let's look at the neuroscience of resilience. Resilience in Psychology The term 'resilience' was first used in materials science and defined by engineer Robert Mallet in 1856 as 'the energy required to rupture a material due to a force being applied.' Of course, engineers still use the modulus of resilience in this way. It was not until the 1970s that the term resilience was associated with human psychology as 'the ability to mentally or emotionally cope with a crisis.' Here is an overview of psychological resilience and the work done to understand this construct over the past 50 years. Three Waves of Resiliency Inquiry Over the past several decades, many studies have been done in psychology surrounding resilience in children (and adults). Three major waves of psychological resilience study were described by Glenn E. Richardson in 2002, as seen in the chart below. Wave of Study First Wave (Resilience Qualities) Description Study of resilient qualities of individuals and support systems that predict social and personal success. Outcomes List qualities, assets, or protective factors that help people grow through adversity (i.e., selfesteem, self-efficacy, support systems, etc.). Work done in the 1970s and 1980s Second Wave (The Resiliency Process) Resiliency is coping with stressors, adversity, change, or opportunity that identifies, fortifies, and enriches protective factors. Describes the disruptive and reintegrative process of acquiring the desired resilient qualities described in the first wave; A model that helps clients and students to choose between resilient reintegration, reintegration back to the comfort zone, or reintegration with loss. Work done in the 1980s and 1990s. Third Wave (Innate Resilience) Postmodern multidisciplinary identification of motivational forces within individuals and groups and the creation of experiences that foster the activation and utilization of the forces. It helps clients and students to discover and apply the force that drives a person toward selfactualization and to reintegrate from disruptions resiliently. Work was done in the 200os and continues today. The First Wave- Resilience Qualities Early research surrounding psychological resilience focused on identifying children's personality traits or central characteristics that helped them better face challenges and grow through adversity. The assumption was that resilience was created by some static internal quality of an individual (i.e. gender, temperament). Let's look at these early researchers and their work during the first wave of resiliency inquiry. Norman Garmezy (June 18, 1918 – November 21, 2009) Dr. Norman Garmezy was a clinical psychologist and is often noted as 'the founder (or father) of research in resilience.' His early work was on schizophrenia; however, he is best known for his later work on risk, resilience, stress, and coping in child development. Garmezy founded '(opens in a new tab)Project Competence', a longitudinal study examining positive outcomes in at-risk children. Through this work, he concluded that personality traits within the individual influence a person's resilience about competence. Emily E. Werner (May 26, 1929 – October 12, 2017) Dr. Emmy Werner was an American psychologist in the field of child development who, in 1955, began longitudinal research that spanned over several decades on children born into adverse social conditions in Kauai, Hawaii, (opens in a new tab)called 'The Children of Kauai'. The study challenged the assumption that many children exposed to genetic and environmental risk factors go on to experience more problems with delinquency, mental and physical health, and family stability than children exposed to fewer such risk factors. Among Werner's most significant findings was that one-third of all high-risk children displayed resilience and developed into caring, competent, and confident adults despite their problematic histories. She and her fellow researchers identified several protective factors in the lives of these resilient individuals, which helped to balance out risk factors at critical periods in their development. Among these factors were a strong bond with a nonparent caretaker (such as an aunt, babysitter, or teacher) and involvement in a church or community group like the YMCA. Sir Michael Llewellyn Rutter (Aug 15, 1933 – 23 October 2021) Sir Michael Llewellyn Rutter was the first to be appointed Child Psychiatry Professor in the United Kingdom. In his Isle of Wight study between 1964 and 1965, he compared the intergenerational transmission of poverty and disadvantage between children living in an area called the Isle of Wright and those living in London. Within the study, the risk was identified as one of six variables: severe marital discord, low socioeconomic status, overcrowding or large family size, parental criminality, and mothers experiencing a psychiatric disorder. Steven Wolin and Sybil Wolin Steven Wolin, a clinical professor of psychiatry, and his wife Sybil, a developmental psychologist, began their work on resilience in the late 80s. Together, they developed the Model of Resilience that looked at the developmental stages of resiliencies in children, adolescents, and adults. Model of Resilience- Diagram of the Seven Resiliencies The Wolins use the word 'resiliencies' to describe personality traits that are put into play throughout the struggle with hardships. These resiliencies include insight, independence, relationships, initiative, humour, creativity, and morality. They explain that each resiliency develops in stages throughout an individual's life. In this model, the inside ring represents childhood and then moves outward to adolescence, then adulthood. In childhood, resilience is unformed behaviours that sharpen and become more deliberate in adolescence. In adulthood, these 'resiliences' deepen and become part of the individual's self-concept, according to Wolin's research. The Second Wave - The Resiliency Process Building on earlier work where psychologists focused on identifying the static internal qualities of an individual's personality traits responsible for the positive outcomes in that subset of children, the second wave of resilience research explored the process of resilience itself. Why do some individuals adapt and sometimes thrive when faced with adversity while others don't, even with 'all other factors being equal'? This second wave of inquiry defined resilience as the capacity of a dynamic process to adapt successfully to disturbances that threaten a person's functioning. We look at the next group of researchers and their work during the second wave of resilience inquiry. Researchers began their work by considering why some individuals cope with adversity and others do not. They began recognizing that other processes mediate (i.e., that fall between) adversity and adverse outcomes. This new direction in resilience research breaks down the steps to cope (or not cope) with adversity. This new thinking surrounding resilience-centred on the mediating factors (temperament, genes, environment, circumstances, etc.) and processes that enable positive outcomes in the wake of adversity. The Resilience Model In his 2002 article, The Metatheory of Resilience and Resiliency, Glenn Richardson builds on the work of previous research, which identified factors involved in psychological resilience and begins to describe the process of acquiring the desired resilient qualities. Richardson explains that individuals, resilient or not, start at bio/psycho/spiritual homeostasis, and then a disruption occurs. This can be a trauma, abuse, accident, or perceived stressor. It knocks the person out of homeostasis and forces them to reintegrate to put things back together. They then have the opportunity to choose (consciously or unconsciously) the outcomes of disruptions and can reintegrate in one of four ways: 1) dysfunctional, 2) with loss, 3) back to homeostasis, or 4) resilient. People are barraged with stressors, adversity, and life events, which can be external or internal. The protective factors, or qualities that promote resilience, buffer those adversities and help the person experience resilient reintegration. It’s important to note that in the Resilience Model, resilient reintegration shows people doing better than before. In his work, Richardson further elaborates on the The Resilience Model with the additional points listed below: 1 The simplistic linear model only reflects one event pertaining to a particular role, relationship, or experience. Multiple disruptive and redintegrative ongoing growth opportunities may be happening simultaneously. 2 The resiliency process may take place in a matter of seconds or years to adapt to traumatic events 3 Without resilient reintegration in the wake of disruptions, life prompts will continue to disrupt because people have not acquired resilient qualities. 4 The resiliency process applies to individuals, couples, families, schools, communities, and other groups. 5 Resilient reintegration may be postponed. For example, some people may experience a disruption such as abuse as a child and reintegrate with loss and years later be disrupted by therapy and resiliently reintegrate using adult coping skills. 6 Disruption is required to access the components of innate resilience because bio/psycho/spiritual homeostasis makes no demands for improvement and growth. 7 The value of this model in therapy and education is that clients can visually recognize that they have choices to grow, recover, or lose in the face of disruptions. The Resilience Theory Resilience Theory is a collective resilience model to which many researchers have contributed. This theory created a paradigm shift that explains how promotive and protective factors (identified in the first wave of resilience inquiry) work to help overcome the negative impacts of risk exposure. It demonstrates that it is not the nature of adversity that is most important but our ability to adapt successfully. When we face adversity, in the form of social disadvantage or hardship, resilience helps us bounce back. It can help us to survive, recover, and even thrive in the wake of life's greatest misfortunes and circumstances. It should be noted that resilience theory is a framework that has evolved over the years as researchers have learned more through studies and analyses. The Third Wave- Resilience Forces Building from the findings of the second wave of resilience inquiry that explored resilience as a process, modern resilience studies consider the idea that perhaps individuals do not withstand risk but instead change to accommodate risk. So resilience is more than just coping; it involves positive adaptation to adversity. This work also identified motivational forces within individuals and groups and the creation of experiences that foster the activation and utilization of these forces. Of these external forces, the most compelling and consistent finding indicates the centrality of positive relationships as a critical component of resilience. We look at some modern researchers and their ongoing work during the third wave of resiliency inquiry. Dr. Ann Masten, a student of Norman Garmezy, is known for studying external variables associated with resilience in children and families. Her work in 2001 showed that although individual assets do contribute to resilience, it is external protective resources that reside outside of us (i.e. parental support, close community, safe schools and neighbourhoods, cultural practices) that often play a significant role in whether a child can adapt positively to adversity. Dr. Masten refers to this as 'Ordinary Magic'(opens in a new tab) because ordinary resources, not extraordinary quality, protect us. Dr. Michael Ungar is a researcher in the field of social and psychological resilience and is the Principal Investigator for the Resilience Research Centre (opens in a new tab)at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Canada. He expands on Masten's work to define resilience as "the structures around the individual, the services the individual receives, the way health knowledge is generated, all of which combine with characteristics of individuals that allow them to overcome the adversity they face and chart a pathway to resilience. ” Three types of protective resources are found to protect the adaptation systems in resilience: Individual, Family, and Community. Individual - sense of identity, intelligence, motivation to succeed, self-efficacy, self-esteem,locus of control, faith/hope/belief life has meaning Family - parental support, capable parenting, family cohesion and stability, less separation from parents, culture/spiritual identification, economic security Community - high-quality social relationships, adult role models, positive mentors, effective schools, safe neighborhoods, culture/spiritual practices Internal or External? Three types of protective resources are found to protect the adaptation systems: Individual, Family, and Community. Double-click and slide the tiles down to the left or right to indicate whether they fall into the category of internal (traits the individual possesses) or external resources (from their family or community). Resilience in Nature Nature is Resilient Nature is resilient to disturbances. Animals, plants, and ecosystems can adapt, repair, and recover from threats. In ecology, resilience is defined as the capacity of an ecosystem to respond to a disturbance by resisting damage and recovering quickly. The loss of an ecosystem’s ability to recover from a disruption, whether due to natural events such as hurricanes or volcanic eruptions or human influences such as overfishing and pollution, can damage and endanger that ecosystem. It is through resilience that these ecosystems can recover and sometimes even strengthen after they are disrupted. Natural Disasters A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from biological processes of the Earth; examples include firestorms, dust storms, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, and other geologic processes. Natural disasters can negatively affect the biodiversity of wetlands, forests, and coastal systems by causing the spread of invasive species, mass species mortality, and loss of habitat. Still, over time, many natural disasters play an integral role in rejuvenating the ecosystem they once destroyed. Let's look at Wildfires, one of the best examples of these natural disruptive occurrences, and how nature can survive and sometimes thrive through its resilience. Wildfires A wildfire is an unplanned fire that burns in a natural area such as a forest, grassland, or prairie. Wildfires are often caused by human activity or a natural phenomenon such as lightning, and they can happen at any time or anywhere. In 50% of wildfires recorded, how they started has yet to be discovered. The risk of wildfires increases in arid conditions, such as drought, and during high winds. Wildfires often lead to deteriorating air quality and loss of property, crops, resources, animals, and people. But wildfires can also stimulate new growth Animals' Resilience In the animal world, only the resilient survive. One way animals can remain resilient is by adapting to their specific environment. Animal adaptations are any behavioural or physical characteristics an animal possesses that help it live and reproduce in the conditions of its habitat. Physical adaptation may include structural modification to a part of the animal's body (like webbed feet for swimming). A behavioural adaptation is something an animal does, or how it acts, in response to some external stimulus (like running fast to escape a predictor). Amazing Animals Let's look at some examples of animals that have amazing abilities or physical characteristics that help them to adapt and survive in a variety of harsh environments. Emperor Penguins The adult penguins make the 60+ mile journey to their breeding ground every year. Once there, the female lays one egg and rolls it towards the male penguin. At this point, the female has not eaten for months and has lost a third of their weight, so she then starts the long journey towards the sea for food, not returning for two months. During this time, the males combine large groups to retain heat, keeping their eggs warm. They each take turns to spend time in the middle of the group where it is warmer. This technique is necessary for survival as they endure temperatures below minus 70 degrees centigrade. By the time the females return, the males have not eaten for four months and have lost half their body weight. The female takes responsibility for the baby penguin as the male heads towards the sea for much-needed food. Ants Ants survived the Cretaceous-Tertiary period that killed the dinosaurs and the ice age that followed. A single ant can carry 50 times its body weight (some species up to 100 times), and they’ll even work together as a group to move more oversized objects if needed. Ants “listen” by feeling vibrations from the ground through their feet, and 'eyeless' ants, such as the Driver Ant species, can communicate using their antennae. Ants can also send chemical signals (called pheromones) released through their body to send messages to other ants. They send warnings when danger’s near, leave trails of pheromones leading to food sources, and even use them to attract a mate. Ants have two stomachs. One of their stomachs is for holding food for their consumption, and the second one is to store food to be shared with other ants in the colony who cannot collect food for themselves. Elephants The African elephant is the world's largest land mammal, with males, on average, measuring up to 3 metres high and weighing up to 6 tons. Elephants can live for up to 60-70 years in the wild. An elephant’s skin is 2.5cm thick, and the deep folds in its skin can trap water, which helps to keep them cool. Elephants communicate in various ways, including sounds like trumpet calls, body language, touch, and scent. They can also communicate through seismic signals, which are sounds that create vibrations in the ground that they detect through their bones. Elephant calves can stand within 20 minutes of birth and walk within 1 hour. After two days, calves can keep up with the herd. This incredible survival technique means that herds of elephants can keep migrating to find food and water to thrive. Camels Camels are built for survival. They can live for six months without a meal and months without water. One of the reasons they can survive such high temperatures is because all of their fat is in their humps. They only break a sweat once their body temperature is over 41 degrees Celsius. Another reason is their thick coats that keep the heat out. Camels can rehydrate faster than any other mammal, drinking 30 gallons (113 litres) of water in only 13 minutes. If any other animal drank water that quickly, they would over dilute their blood and promptly die. The onehumped Dromedary Camel is a big part of life in Arabia and the Middle East, so it's no surprise that there are said to be over 160 words for “camel” in the Arabic language. Resilient Plant Life Many plants have adaptations to help them survive under the unique conditions of their surroundings. Adaptations are special features that allow a plant to live in a particular place or habitat. Some examples of plant adaptations include reproducing without seeds, unique root structures that collect water in droughts, and leaf waxing that helps to repel pests. These adaptations are how plants stay resilient. Let's look at some examples of plants that can adapt to the harsh conditions of their surroundings. Cactus The cactus is classified as any family (Cactaceae, the cactus family) of plants with succulent stems and branches with scales or spines instead of leaves. It is found mainly in dry areas (such as deserts) and is known as a master of adaptation. Lodgepole Pine Pinus contorta, with the common name 'Lodgepole Pine,' is a tall, slender, straight tree that grows throughout most of the interior of western North America. Lodgepole pine is a highly adaptable tree that can grow in various environments, from water-logged bogs to dry sandy soils. The Lodgepole pine is one of the first trees to unwind after a wildfire. Alpine plants Alpine plants grow in an alpine climate at high elevations above the tree line. They are compact plants that produce many tiny jewel-like flowers in vibrant colours. Alpines encompass a range of plants, from bulbs to shrubs and herbaceous perennials. Most form cushion-like mounds or slowly spread carpets, which allows them to grow in the tundra's short growing season and low temperatures. Sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum is the sole living species in the genus Sequoiadendron and one of three coniferous trees known as redwoods. The giant sequoia is the world's most massive tree and arguably the largest living organism on Earth. Fewer than 80,000 sequoia trees remain on the planet today. Welwitschia Welwitschiaceae is a family of plants of the order Gnetales with one living species, Welwitschia mirabilis. It is only found in the extreme deserts (less than 25 mm [1 inch] of rain per year) in a narrow belt about 1,000 km long in southwestern Africa. The plant is commonly known simply as welwitschia in English, but the name 'tree tumbo' is also used. Welwitschia leaves are known to be the longest-lived in the plant kingdom. Ecological Resilience Ecological resilience, also called environmental robustness, is the ability of an ecosystem to maintain its primary function, structure, and feedback systems after being subjected to damage caused by an ecological disturbance. There are two main ways to measure environmental resilience: by looking at the time it takes for an ecosystem to return to any stable state or by assessing how well a system can absorb a change and keep the same function and structure. This latter method acknowledges that a system can be sound yet still unhealthy. Resilient Ecosystems Ecosystems are the communities of organisms in a particular area and the nonliving parts of the environment with which they interact. The variety of these components and interactions contribute to an ecosystem’s complexity. Ecosystems can differ in their makeup, and, as a result, some ecosystems are more complex than others. More complex ecosystems are more resilient or better able to tolerate and recover from disturbances than less complex ecosystems. This ecological complexity is often due to biodiversity. Biodiversity is the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world. Let's look at how biodiversity is essential to an ecosystem's survival. Coral Reef A coral reef is a complex underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Coral reefs have a great deal of biodiversity (a variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms), making them a complex and resilient ecosystem. Wetlands Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil or is present either at or near the soil's surface all year or for varying periods during the year, including during the growing season. Wetlands may support both aquatic and terrestrial species. Wetlands are among the most complex ecosystems on the planet. Rainforests Likely the most resilient ecosystem on earth, rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, a moist layer of leaf litter, epiphytes and lianas, and no wildfire. The largest rainforests are in the Amazon River Basin (South America), the Congo River Basin (western Africa), and much of southeast Asia. More miniature rainforests are located in Central America, Madagascar, Australia, and nearby islands, India, and other locations in the tropics. Nature-Based Solutions Nature-based solutions refer to storing and emulating nature to increase human, ecosystem, and infrastructure resilience to climate impacts. These solutions often result in environmental, economic, and social co-benefits. Nature-Based Solutions Nature-based solutions refer to storing and emulating nature to increase human, ecosystem, and infrastructure resilience to climate impacts. These solutions often result in environmental, economic, and social co-benefits. Connecting to Nature for Resilience Nature is one of the best medicines for difficult times. An intimate awareness of the natural world, even within the city limits, can calm anxieties and help create healthy perspectives. Data shows a moderately positive correlation between one's experience of connection to the natural world and one's perceived psychological resilience. Individuals who scored higher on a measure of connection to nature were likely to score higher on psychological resilience. Let's explore an example of connecting to nature through the art and science of Shinrin-Yoku. Shinrin-Yoku Shinrin-Yoku, translated into English as 'forest bathing', means taking in the forest atmosphere during a leisurely walk. It is a therapy developed in Japan during the 1980s, becoming a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine. Researchers studying the health benefits have found that after just 15 minutes of forest bathing, blood pressure drops, stress levels are reduced, and concentration and mental clarity improve. Shinrin-Yoku Activity If you can't get outside right now, you can still experience Shinrin-Yoku by viewing this critically acclaimed multi-award-winning film. Set aside 6 minutes of your time to immerse yourself in this experience. Find a quiet place free of distractions, turn on the sound and watch the film on full screen to get the full effect of its beauty. Click the 'Watch on YouTube' to view this video. Key Takeaways • The science of human resilience is based on psychology and neurobiology. Resilience in neuroscience is a complex study of the body's neurological system's response to stress. Psychological resilience was first defined in the 1970s as the ability to mentally or emotionally cope with a crisis. Since then, a great deal of research has been done on psychological resilience, and it is categorized into three waves of resilience inquiry (first wave-resilience qualities, second wave-resilience as a process, and third wave-resilience forces). The module identifies vital researchers and their important work in the study of resilience from its early beginnings in the 1960s until today. • In ecology, resilience is defined as the capacity of an ecosystem to respond to a disturbance by resisting damage and recovering quickly. The loss of an ecosystem’s ability to recover from a disruption, whether due to natural events or human influences, can damage and endanger that ecosystem. One way animals can remain resilient is by adapting to their specific environment. Animal adaptations are any behavioural or physical characteristics an animal possesses that help it live and reproduce in the conditions of its habitat. Many plants have adaptations to help them survive under the unique conditions of their surroundings. Ecosystems are the communities of organisms in a particular area and the nonliving parts of the environment with which they interact. More complex ecosystems are more resilient. Nature-based solutions refer to storing and emulating nature to increase human, ecosystem, and infrastructure resilience to climate impacts. • Research shows that individuals who score higher on a measure of connection to nature are likely to score higher on psychological resilience. An example of such a connection-with-nature practice is Shinrin-Yoku or 'forest bathing,' which involves leisurely walking in the forest. This therapy was developed in Japan during the 1980s, becoming a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine. There is only one way to survive and thrive when faced with circumstances out of our control and for which we are unprepared: ADAPT. - Charles F Glassman