Building Resilience in the Face of Adversity

The current elections have brought questions of fairness, resources, and identity to the surface. For a nation that prides itself on equality and security, such debates can feel unsettling. And in our own day-to-day lives, adversity has a way of making itself felt too: money worries, professional pressures, or the quieter private battles we rarely speak of. And yet, humans have always had the capacity to withstand hardship. That capacity is what psychologists call resilience.

What Is Resilience Really? Here’s the good news: resilience isn’t rare. In fact, most people display resilience after hardship. But let’s be clear. Resilience isn’t about being untouched by life’s difficulties. It’s not about being “tough” in the way we sometimes imagine, or bouncing back with a stiff upper lip. Instead, resilience is the ability to bend without breaking, to adapt, to recover, and—sometimes—to grow in the face of adversity. That’s an important distinction. Resilience allows for tears, frustration, and exhaustion. It allows for laughter in the middle of chaos. It even allows for days when we simply make it through, hoping tomorrow will feel lighter. Resilience is not an epic feat—it’s ordinary, everyday magic, woven into how we show up for ourselves and each other.

Resilience in an Uncertain World
Right now, uncertainty feels like the only certainty. Wars dominate the headlines. Poverty is rising, with families across Europe feeling the weight of increased living costs. And here in Norway, election debates are stirring old and new anxieties: who belongs, how resources should be divided, what kind of society we want to become.

For some, this plays out in very ordinary ways: wondering whether the local school will still have the resources it needs, or whether decisions made in Oslo will ripple down to affect their daily lives. For others, it’s the quieter worry of whether they will continue to feel at home in a country that prides itself on equality, but is also questioning who gets included in that story.

Against this backdrop, resilience matters more than ever. It doesn’t take away the stressors—there’s no sugar-coating the reality of economic strain, political division, or global instability. But resilience helps us live alongside these challenges with greater steadiness and less overwhelm. It gives us the psychological strength to say, this is hard, but I can meet it.

Building the Muscle of Resilience
Like any muscle, resilience can be strengthened. The science suggests a few key practices:

1. Anchor yourself in values
When the world feels chaotic, values act like a compass. Ask yourself: What matters most to me right now? Acting in line with that—whether it’s honesty, kindness, or curiosity—creates stability even when everything else wobbles.

2. Practise cognitive flexibility
The secret ingredient to resilience is flexibility. Sometimes holding it together is useful. Other times, letting it all out is exactly what we need. Resilience isn’t one-size-fits-all; it’s about adapting our coping style to fit the moment.

3. Reframe how you see adversity
How we interpret events shapes how they impact us. Adversity becomes less overwhelming when we see it as a challenge rather than a threat. Thinking “What might this teach me?” rather than “Why me?” can soften the edges of a difficult experience.

4. Cultivate joy and curiosity
Moments of joy aren’t frivolous—they expand our perspective and replenish our energy. Gratitude, playfulness, or even a small spark of curiosity can act like micro-doses of resilience, reminding us there is more to life than the problem in front of us.

5. Keep your body and mind nourished
It sounds obvious, but when stress hits, sleep, movement, and food are usually the first things to go. Yet they’re also the foundations that make resilience possible. I often hear people say things like, “I’ll skip my walk today because I need to catch up on emails,” or “I was too stressed to eat lunch.” But resilience thrives on the ordinary rhythms—like a proper meal, a stretch of fresh Norwegian air, or simply switching off the phone for half an hour.

6. Lean on others
Resilience is not a solo project. But in Norway, leaning on others can feel complicated. Shaped by Janteloven and a culture of quiet independence, many of us hesitate to ask for help unless it’s directly offered. That doesn’t mean support isn’t there—it just means we sometimes have to be intentional about reaching for it. Even a single trusted person to share the load with can make all the difference.

Beyond Resilience: Growth
There’s another layer here worth mentioning: post-traumatic growth. For some, moving through adversity doesn’t just restore us to where we were before—it can deepen us. Growth might mean a renewed appreciation for life, stronger relationships, a sharper sense of priorities, or even the courage to take a new path.

It doesn’t mean hardship is “worth it” or that suffering is somehow a gift. Let’s not romanticise pain. But it does mean that even in the rubble, seeds can sprout. And that’s something quietly hopeful to hold on to.

A Shared Humanity
No matter where we live—whether we are caught in the tide of global events, or feeling the daily weight of our own private struggles—the need for resilience is universal. It is both a personal practice and a collective one. We can’t always control the storms around us, but we can strengthen the roots that keep us steady.

In the end, resilience is less about bouncing back and more about moving through—step by step, day by day—with compassion for ourselves and for each other.

// Nicola