What Is Resilience?
Catarina Mendanha defines resilience as “more than just enduring hardships or pretending everything is fine when it’s not.” Resilience is the capacity to face stress, trauma, or adversity, and not only recover but come out stronger. For Catarina, resilience was a skill she had to develop after facing a series of personal challenges, including a career shift and a major health issue that tested her mental and emotional fortitude.
“I used to think resilience was about toughness, about keeping it all together. But I’ve learned it’s more about adaptability and self-awareness. It’s about acknowledging your pain, facing it head-on, and taking proactive steps toward healing,” Catarina shared during the Epicast interview.
Resilience isn’t just an inborn trait—it’s a skill anyone can cultivate. The first step, Catarina notes, is understanding that hardships are a natural part of life. “It’s not about avoiding pain but embracing the lessons it brings,” she said. “That shift in mindset is critical.”
Why Is Resilience Important?
Catarina emphasizes the importance of resilience in managing life’s pressures. According to her, the skill is vital for both personal well-being and professional success. Here are some key reasons why resilience is important, based on our Epicast conversation with Catarina:
- Helps Manage Stress: Life’s challenges often come with stress, but resilience helps you manage that stress in healthier ways. Catarina noted how resilience allowed her to stay grounded when life felt overwhelming. “There were days when it felt like everything was falling apart, but resilience kept me focused on what I could control. It helped me break things down into manageable steps.”
- Fosters Adaptability: In a world that’s constantly changing, adaptability is key. Resilient people can shift their mindset and strategies when faced with new circumstances. Catarina shared that one of the hardest lessons she learned was to accept change rather than resist it. “I learned that being flexible isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a strength that allows you to move forward, even when life takes an unexpected turn.”
- Enhances Emotional Well-being: Resilience contributes to emotional strength, enabling people to process difficult emotions without becoming overwhelmed. Catarina shared how, during her own journey, she had to develop emotional resilience to maintain her well-being. “Resilience doesn’t mean you don’t feel the pain,” she explained. “It just means you can sit with it, understand it, and let it guide you toward growth.”
- Promotes Long-term Success: Resilience isn’t just about surviving tough times; it’s also about thriving in the long run. Catarina believes that resilience was crucial to her professional success. “Resilience allowed me to view setbacks as opportunities for growth. When I experienced a major career shift, it was my ability to adapt, stay positive, and keep learning that helped me succeed in a new field.”
How to Build Resilience: Actionable Steps from Catarina Mendanha
Building resilience doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s something anyone can work on. During our interview, Catarina Mendanha provided several practical tips for cultivating resilience in your own life:
- Cultivate Self-awareness: Understanding your emotional triggers and stressors is key to building resilience. Catarina stressed the importance of recognizing when you’re struggling and being honest with yourself about how you’re feeling. “You can’t overcome what you don’t acknowledge,” she said. “Self-awareness is the first step in any healing process.”
- Develop a Growth Mindset: Resilient people view challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. Catarina recommends adopting a growth mindset, where failures are seen as stepping stones rather than dead ends. “I’ve failed many times,” she admitted. “But every failure taught me something valuable, and that’s the essence of resilience.”
- Build a Support System: No one has to face challenges alone. Catarina emphasized the importance of having a support system of friends, family, or colleagues who can offer encouragement during difficult times. “Your network is your safety net,” she explained. “Resilience doesn’t mean going it alone. It means knowing when to ask for help.”
- Practice Self-care: Resilience is often linked to physical, mental, and emotional health. Catarina advocates for daily self-care practices, such as mindfulness, exercise, and proper sleep, as crucial components of building resilience. “When your body and mind are well-rested and nourished, you’re better equipped to handle stress,” she pointed out.
- Set Small, Achievable Goals: Breaking larger challenges into smaller tasks makes them less overwhelming. Catarina recommends setting small, achievable goals to help maintain focus and momentum during tough times. “It’s easy to get lost in the magnitude of a problem, but small steps create progress. One step at a time can lead you out of even the darkest moments.”
Resilience in the Workplace
Catarina’s journey isn’t just about personal resilience. Her insights extend to professional settings as well, particularly in today’s rapidly changing work environment. “Resilience in the workplace is about more than just bouncing back from setbacks,” she noted. “It’s about fostering a culture where people feel empowered to take risks, learn from failures, and continually adapt to change.”
In a world where the future is unpredictable, businesses that encourage resilience in their employees are better equipped to weather uncertainty. Catarina believes that fostering resilience in teams leads to greater collaboration, innovation, and overall job satisfaction. “Resilient teams are more adaptable, and they’re not afraid of change,” she concluded. “They see challenges as opportunities, which is what leads to long-term success.”
Final Thoughts from Catarina Mendanha
Resilience is a powerful tool that anyone can develop, and as Catarina’s story shows, it can transform your life in profound ways. Whether facing personal hardships or navigating a challenging professional environment, resilience can be the key to not only surviving but thriving.
As she wisely stated in our Epicast interview, “Resilience isn’t about never falling. It’s about always getting back up, stronger than before.”
By embracing resilience, we can all learn to turn life’s adversities into opportunities for growth, creating a future filled with strength, adaptability, and success.
You can watch the full episode on Youtube.
Check the 3rd episode of Epicast with Diogo Vieira da Silva about Empowering Identity and Inclusion.
