The seven ways to boost resilience in challenging times

While many young Aussies show incredible resilience, the challenges of 2023 have caused stress and anxiety to surge — but these simple strategies can help to build inner strength.

Young people have demonstrated an incredible capacity for resilience despite a challenging 2023, with concerns about the cost-of-living crisis, climate change and war, new research has revealed.

The Headspace National Youth Mental Health Survey found more than two thirds of young Australians between the ages of 12 and 25 had normal or high levels of resilience, with three in five young people saying they felt they could bounce back quickly after hard times.

But some young people reported feeling less resilient than their peers, with one third saying they found it hard to snap back when something bad happened and tended to take a long time to get over setbacks.

More than half of young people identifying as members of the LGBTQIA+ community said they had a hard time making it through stressful events, as did 39 per cent of young women, compared to 33 per cent of young men.

Stress levels have risen among many young Aussies in 2023 but resilience can be strengthened. Picture: iStock

Headspace’s national clinical adviser, Rupert Saunders, said 2023 had been a tough year for young Australians, who faced a cost-of-living crisis, climate change, the ongoing effects of natural disasters and the Israel-Hamas war.

“This is all occurring in the background of young people making big decisions, making big changes in their lives, a lot of them are developing their identities,” he said.

“Being a young person is tough as it is but we’ve got these added pressures in the background.”

Rupert Saunders says it’s important young people acknowledge what they achieved in 2023 and stop comparing themselves to others, particularly on social media.

Resilience was a skill that could be worked on, he said.

“Resilience is a skill much like strengthening a muscle at the gym, the more we put effort into developing that skill in our lives, the better able we are to handle tough times,” he said.

“Resilience is something that can come and go and something we can work on and build up by building healthy habits.”

He encouraged young people to consider implementing Headspace’s seven tips for a healthy headspace.

Connecting with others is one way to help build resilience.

These are staying active, doing things you enjoy, connecting with others, eating well and drinking plenty of water, getting a good night’s sleep, cutting back on alcohol and other drugs, and learning skills to handle tough times e.g. practising mindfulness or gratitude. He recommended young people explore different strategies to find what worked for them, and to contact Headspace or other support services if they wanted support.

As 2023 draws to a close, Mr Saunders said it was important young people acknowledged what they did achieve in 2023, rather than focusing on what they didn’t achieve, and that they didn’t compare themselves to others, particularly on social media.

“I think it’s really important to remember that social media is a very curated perspective of someone’s life,” he said.