Quiz: assess your own emotional resilience
Emotional resilience is a complex and evolving concept. Many definitions have been provided reflecting different perspectives, but they all acknowledge resourcefulness, flexibility, effective coping and an ability to “bounce back” from life’s difficulties.
To enhance your resilience, we have produced a quiz to help identify your existing strengths and highlight any competencies that you may need to develop. This is based on our research that has identified the characteristics that underpin resilience in social workers.
For more information, please read Community Care Inform’s guide to developing social workers’ emotional resilience.
The following statements assess the different components of resilience. Within each section, click on a statement that most accurately reflects how you feel to find out where you currently sit on the continuum of emotional resilience.
1. Bouncing back
a) I am usually able to cope well when I am going through difficult times.
b) I sometimes find it difficult to bounce back quickly after hard times.
c) I tend to take a long time to get over setbacks in my life.
2. Social support
a) I have a wide network of friends and colleagues who I can turn to for help.
b) I sometimes find it difficult to get the support I need.
c) I often don’t know who to turn to for support.
3. Emotional management
a) I am usually able to manage my emotional reactions to work effectively.
b) I sometimes have difficulty coping with the emotions I experience in relation to my work.
c) I often find it difficult to manage my emotional reactions to work.
4. Empathy
a) I can empathise with service users’ feelings and experiences without becoming over-involved.
c) I frequently get overwhelmed by the feelings and experiences of service users.
5. Flexibility
a) I am generally able to adapt well to new situations.
b) I frequently find it difficult to cope with change and uncertainty.
c) I usually find myself resisting change or feeling threatened by uncertainty.
6. Challenge
a) I am usually good at finding solutions to difficult problems.
b) I often find that a problem is too difficult to tackle.
c) When I am faced with a difficult problem, I frequently give up because I think I will fail.
7. Reflecting on practice
a) Reflecting on my practice is second nature to me.
b) I frequently find it difficult to reflect on my practice.
c) I struggle to reflect on my practice.
8. Self-efficacy
a) I am generally able to maintain a strong belief in my professional capabilities.
b) I sometimes have doubts about my professional capabilities.
c) I frequently have crises of confidence about my professional capabilities.
9. Social confidence
a) I am confident that my interpersonal skills at work are effective.
b) I sometimes find social interactions at work difficult.
c) I often struggle with managing social interactions at work.
10. Optimism
a) I feel positive about most aspects of my working life.
b) I sometimes struggle to remain optimistic about work.
c) I frequently have a pessimistic view of my working life.
11. Stress
a) On the whole, I manage my stress levels well.
b) I sometimes have problems managing stress effectively.
c) I tend to get stressed very easily.
12. Self-care and self-compassion
a) If things go wrong I am able to be kind and compassionate to myself and prioritise “me time”.
b) I sometimes struggle to find the time to meet my personal needs.
c) I tend to prioritise the needs of others rather than my own.
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Answers
1. Bouncing back
You are resilient most of the time and rarely fail to bounce back when life gets difficult. It is important to recognise though that sometimes things may get too tough for even the most resilient person to handle. Remember that you need to nurture your resilience, even during the good times, by continuing to work on the competencies that underpin this important quality, as this is an investment for your future.
You are usually able to manage adversity and recover well from difficulties. At times, however, you find it difficult to bounce back. It is perfectly normal to find it hard to get over some things. Gain support from others wherever possible, and seek out opportunities to learn more about the stress management techniques that work for you. Use supervision to explore your difficulties and how you might tackle them.
You need to invest in your emotional resilience. Try to think about setbacks in a different way – as learning opportunities rather than negative events. Resilient people experience frustration and anxiety, but are able to draw upon more positive emotions and use a wide repertoire of coping and problem solving strategies during times of adversity. Take time to consider your resources, such as support and supervision, and make sure to learn about other stress management techniques that work for you.
2. Social support
You have a wide network of friends and colleagues around you who provide you with strong support in times of crisis. It is important not to take these relationships for granted, however, but to nurture them and ensure they are reciprocal: if you give support to others, they will help you when the chips are down.
You have people around you, but they may not always be available when things get tough. You might also struggle to get the right kind of support from your existing social network. Positive relationships thrive on mutual support – it is important to develop reciprocal relationships where people don’t turn to you in times of crisis only to disappear when you need support. Consider widening your social circle and spend time nurturing relationships with others as it is a worthy investment.
Relying on just one person for support may make you feel that you are overwhelming him/her with your problems. Actively seek new relationships and friendships with people who you trust and who trust you. Make time for other people outside of work so that you have support from a range of different people. Join a gym, do an evening class, or develop a new hobby or interest. Above all, don’t be afraid to ask for help and try not to see this as a weakness but a strength.
3. Emotional management
You have developed effective techniques to manage your emotional reactions to work and can usually stop work-related concerns from “spilling over” into your personal life. You recognise the impact that strong emotions can have on you and others, and are able to explore your reactions independently and during supervision. It is important to recognise, however, that you may encounter a situation that triggers an unexpected emotional reaction which may surprise, or even shock you. Take time to explore any potentially sensitive areas and how these might affect you and your practice.
You are usually able to manage your emotional reactions, but acknowledge that this is an area for further development. Self-awareness is a key tool to manage emotional reactions more effectively and this helps us avoid becoming too enmeshed in our own emotions or those of others. Consider keeping a diary where you reflect upon situations which invoked a strong emotional reaction in you and others, and think about how this may be affecting your practice. Discuss your findings in supervision.
You need to develop more effective ways of managing your emotional responses to difficult situations. It is important to avoid becoming traumatised when encountering the distress and pain of others, but you must also avoid becoming immune to their feelings. Techniques such as mindfulness can enhance awareness of your own emotional state and the factors that threaten your well-being, and enable you to tackle issues and situations in your practice that make you feel anxious or stressed.
4. Empathy
You have developed an appropriate level of empathetic concern with service users. You are able to respond to intense emotional reactions in others without becoming either overwhelmed or disassociating from them. There may, however, be some people that you find difficult to connect with emotionally, or those who overwhelm you with their pain. Becoming distressed about another person’s circumstances will happen from time to time in social work, so it is important to know where to seek support if this happens to you.
Sometimes you find it difficult to empathise with service users or may feel that you are in danger of becoming over-involved. It is easy to get lost in the world of the service user: it is important to recognise, however, that if you become over-involved your ability to help is limited. Recognise that you cannot “fix” people’s emotional hurt but you can help them find solutions to their difficulties. Reflect upon your own feelings and use supervision to check that your empathetic concern is not causing you distress.
Try to ensure that you don’t become overwhelmed when listening to intense stories of grief, trauma and abuse. Consider using techniques to help you to develop appropriate empathy. For example, imagine a semi-permeable boundary between yourself and service users to allow yourself to be receptive but not emotionally overwhelmed. Use supervision to explore ways to do this effectively.
5. Flexibility
You are a flexible person who is usually able to see change as an opportunity rather than a threat. Remember, however, that some rules are non-negotiable and there are key professional values that should guide your behaviour. Use these as a framework to determine how flexible you should be when trying to adapt to new situations.
Don’t pay too much attention to your initial defensive reactions to change. Try to shift your position to being someone who sees change as an opportunity rather than an inevitable source of fear and anxiety. When assessing the potential impact of change, try to focus on long-term gains rather than short-term discomfort.
You find change difficult to manage; this may be due to fear of the future or unhappy memories of times when you felt out of control. Try to reinterpret changes as new horizons to help you develop a more flexible worldview. Anchor yourself by acknowledging that change is inevitable and desirable, and then accept opportunities as they arise. Making minor changes encourages a more flexible and less fearful response, as change can then be seen as an incremental process rather than a major event.
6. Challenge
You are always willing to take on a challenge and actively seek opportunities for problem-solving. Embracing challenge underpins emotional resilience, but remember to utilise critical thinking skills to ensure you are not just repeating the same old patterns of problem-solving.
Consider how you might improve your problem-solving abilities. Break down problems and approach them systematically. Consider using the COPE model where C= Challenge – identify the problem, consider the causes and results; O= Opt – select the best option from possible solutions; P= Plan – make a plan to action your option; and E= Evaluate – check for progress and revise the plan if need be. Learning to face challenges head on will help you enhance your resilience.
Challenges and problems are an inevitable part of social work practice, and we are often faced with situations that are beyond our control. More resilient people tend to see challenges as something that can be embraced and recognise there are usually solutions to even seemingly intractable difficulties. Try and see challenges as opportunities to exercise your problem-solving abilities rather than a threat to your emotional equilibrium. If the initial solution doesn’t work, try another strategy.
7. Reflecting on practice
You recognise the important role that reflection plays in your practice. Resilient social workers see reflection as a vital technique to develop insight into themselves and their practice and how they might improve this. Remember that it is important to develop holistic reflective practice, using others to check that your thinking is not reinforcing stereotypes or one way of viewing the world.
It is not always easy to dedicate time and energy to reflection as it can be a challenging and time-consuming process. Try to see reflection not as an opportunity for self-criticism, but a way of acknowledging competence and examining practice constructively rather than defensively. Professional supervision must include reflective space and a supervisor’s role is to facilitate this – try and discuss different ways and models of reflection until you find one which is comfortable for you.
As reflection is strongly linked to emotional resilience it is important for your personal well-being and your practice that you develop this resource. Seek out tools that can aid your reflection. Consider using the “what”,“so what”, “now what” approach to help you structure your reflection time. Carve out space for reflection, both personally and during professional supervision, and consider creating peer reflective supervision opportunities.
8. Self-efficacy
You are generally confident about your professional capabilities. Continue to learn and grow and approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than as threats to be avoided. It is important to acknowledge, however, that an overly strong self-belief can lead to a reluctance to accept criticism or consider alternative options.
Use supervision as an opportunity to review your capabilities in a non-threatening way. Consider using peer coaching to seek out feedback from others about your practice; this will also help you accept constructive criticism and explore options for change. Enhance your ability to recover from setbacks and consider areas for development as an opportunity to enhance skills rather than engendering a sense of failure.
Social work is all about dealing with uncertainty and complexity. Social workers often lack self-belief and focus on their perceived shortcomings rather than acknowledging their competency. The professional capabilities framework (overseen by the British Association of Social Workers) is useful in this regard as it can help you to identify your strengths and areas for improvement. Use supervision and peer coaching to identify your training needs and to highlight where you feel competent. Lacking self-belief can be self-perpetuating and indulgent, so try and seek opportunities to celebrate your success rather than dwelling on perceived failures.
9. Social confidence
You have well developed interpersonal skills and are socially confident – both of which are important elements of emotional resilience. Use these skills to support and mentor others and be careful not to talk over other people who may not be as socially adept as you.
Some of us find it easier than others to cope with social interactions at work. Consider using “mirroring” techniques to form connections with other people. Also think about using role play to act out difficult social situations that you are going to encounter; this will help you test your own and other people’s reactions to difficult or challenging situations. This is a great way to be better prepared for social interactions and will boost your confidence.
You need to develop your social confidence as it will strengthen your belief in your ability to cope with a situation, and enables you to advocate on behalf of others. We can all struggle at times with social interactions, and demanding professional situations (like panels or court appearances) are bound to make us nervous. Building social confidence can help us manage these situations more effectively, and this is a key element of emotional resilience.
10. Optimism
You are generally optimistic and tend to see life as full of opportunities for growth and development. Using positive emotions to help you bounce back from an emotionally challenging experience helps build resilience. However, being “unrealistically” optimistic can encourage risk-taking behaviour without due attention to the consequences. Also be aware that having an overly positive world view can lead to optimism bias. Always seeing the positive in situations and people means we can miss warning signs, as we may not want to believe anything could go wrong.
Sometimes things get you down and it is then difficult to remain hopeful about the future. Take time out to celebrate those moments when things went well – focus on the “sparkling moments” in your career where you felt successful and seek out opportunities to repeat them. This can be done effectively using peer coaching techniques. Use supervision as a safe haven to explore your anxieties about the future, and take responsibility for finding solutions to difficulties. Being solution-focused rather than problem-focused will help you see the future more positively.
If you feel pessimistic about the world and people’s capacity for change it can have a negative impact on your well-being and your professional practice. It can also alienate other people who may be important sources of support. Try and develop a more hopeful attitude; set yourself specific goals and plan how to achieve them step-by-step. Celebrate successful milestones in your career and remain focused on why you chose social work as a career. Try visualising what you want, rather than worrying about what you fear.
11. Stress
You have developed techniques that help you cope with stress effectively. Try to identify potential stressors at an early stage and try to address them before they get entrenched, or out of control. Continue to utilise support widely, reflect on your practice, maintain firm boundaries between work and home, and seek out opportunities to relax. Recognise that you should not attempt to cope with difficulties alone; your employers have a duty of care to ensure that your workplace is as stress-free as possible.
None of us is immune to stress. Sometimes we find our stress levels difficult to keep in check. Focus on developing techniques to manage stress which suit your current needs and your lifestyle. As well as trying to make enough time for work and family, carve out some “me” time when you engage in pleasurable and relaxing activities. If you are finding yourself worrying about work problems excessively at home, create a space to write your worries down and then identify some action points to address them. Put the list to one side and then tackle it on your return to work.
You need to improve your stress management strategies, as excessive stress can lead to ill-health and burnout. You may need professional support to keep your stress levels in check. Consider using techniques such as meditation, mindfulness and deep breathing, as well as more practical methods such as developing your time management skills and using supervision to discuss issues you are finding stressful.
12. Self-care and self-compassion
It is great to see that you are prioritising self-care and self-compassion. You can be a role model for others, helping them to realise that self-care is not selfish but essential to manage the ups and downs of life. Don’t forget, though, that at times of high pressure we can overlook our own needs, so make sure that you make self-care a habit.
You clearly understand the importance of self-compassion, but at times may feel unable to put this into practice. Try to remember that without consistently being aware of your own needs and practising self-care and self-compassion, your energy levels and capacity to recover from a difficult experience may be compromised. Try to schedule sufficient “me time” into your schedule so that you consciously make time for relaxation, spending time with supportive friends and on self-understanding through reflection.
You need to consider how you can exercise more self-compassion and self-kindness. We all have a tendency to beat ourselves up when things go wrong and focusing on our needs may seem selfish in the type of work we do. Indeed, self-compassion has been wrongly associated with self-pity or self-indulgence. Being self-compassionate is not about denying that something has gone wrong or wallowing in self-examination. It is about recognising that it is okay to feel negative emotions and to actively take time out for recovery and acts of self-kindness, such as making time for relaxation, seeking support and being as warm and understanding to ourselves as we would be to others.
