The 7 C’s of Resilience

On the fifth day, in the last hour, Australian captain, Pat Cummins lead a resistance to win the first ashes test match of 2023.

While I am distraught that England lost the game, I am in awe of what Cummins and his team showed in those moments.

They displayed resilience – the ability to manage a range of stressors.

The situation, the crowd, the opposition, they handled it all.

They dealt with a situation that was full of drama, pressure and intensity with calm, focus, and even a smile.

It was a display of resilience at it’s best.

Seeing challenge as an opportunity.

So how do we get there? How do we handle situations that are challenging with more resilience?

​Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, a paediatrician specialising in adolescent medicine considered that there are seven components to resilience – the “7 C’s of resilience.”

While it was created for building resilience in young people, I believe it is relevant, and can be adapted, for all.

Let’s take a look…

1. Competence

You are confident in your ability to handle stressful situations effectively.

We improve our competency through practice, as we develop more skill

It requires having the skills to face challenges, and having had the opportunity to practice using these skills so that one feels competent in dealing with situations.

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2. Confidence

You have the belief in your abilities and is rooted in your competence.

The more you are able to show your competence, the more confident you’ll feel.

Look back on past successes, draw on your strengths as a reminder of your confidence.

In Chapter 1, Exercise 3 of the MindStrong Course we explore this further.

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3. Connection

When you have close ties with friend, family, teammates, colleagues, coaches you’re more likely to have strong values and not seek out destructive behaviours.

In a team environment, the more connection to those around you, the more you’re likely to rise up in challenging situations.

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4. Character

When we have a sense of “character” it links to our self-worth and confidence. It could be understanding your values, caring towards others, making the right choice in alignment with who you want to be.

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5. Contribution

When we make personal contributions to our sport or community, we learn that our actions can make a positive impact. In turn, it further strengthens our competence, character and sense of connection.

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6. Coping

As obvious as it sounds, those with a range of coping skills are able to cope more under challenging circumstances. But it takes training those skills as much as it does other skills.

Coping skills could be from self talk to reflection, breathing exercises to goal setting, reframing to relaxation, theres a wide variety to choose from.

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7. Control

When we feel more in control we are more likely to know how we are going to bounce back from adversities or what to do when we are in the middle of a challenge. By focusing on what is in our control can help highly anxious moments feel less stressful.

In Chapter 2, Exercise 7 of the MindStrong Course we look at discovering your controllables.

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If you’re interested to developing your own, or others, resilience, then you may enjoy the Building Resilience Mindset Masterclass on the 28th June 7.30pm (UK) or get it on replay on the MindStrong Academy

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