Resilience is the capacity to withstand stress and adversity. It’s what enables us to “bounce back” from setbacks, overcome challenges and cope with traumas.

There are many factors that contribute to resilience, including genetics, biology, personality traits, social support networks and coping skills. Some people seem to be naturally more resilient than others, but we can all develop resilience with effort and practice.

Resilient people do share certain characteristics. These common traits leave clues and teach us proven effective approaches on how to bend, but not break in the face of adversity.

If you want to build your resilience, here are 7 proven strategies that can help:

1. Accept the Baseline: Baseline is your current situation. It is a term we use in the medical field to describe the usual health condition of patients. The baseline blood pressure of athletes is different than most. Their blood pressure may be alarming for someone who doesn’t regularly exercise, but it is normal for their body to function in complete balance. The concept of “baseline” also applies to our lives. Your normal may be different than someone else’s, but it’s yours to own. Resilient people do not ask “why me?”, they accept their baseline and put in the effort to change it if they are bothered by it.

2. Be Flexible: Being willing to change plans and pivot is crucial to being resilient. Those who have experienced adversities know that oftentimes life does not go as planned, and the frustration of refusing to change is an unnecessary source of depletion and burnout.

3. Willingness to Learn: When challenges and change strike us, we need new skills and knowledge to cope with and overcome the adversities. Resilient people are open to learning about the topic that they are facing. They know that the more equipped they are with information and facts, the better they can make decisions and battle what they are facing.

4. Seek Solutions: When life takes a turn, we can either sit and complain or immediately look for solutions. Resilient people are quick to look for ways to resolve or at least improve the situation. They do not expend their energy in reciting why the problem is difficult or unfair. They channel that time, mental, and emotional energy to find solutions.

5. Be Resourceful: Unusual circumstances call for unusual measures. Those who are resourceful make do with what is available and use their accessible resources to the best of their ability. Many can function and perform in ideal situations, but to be able to work with what is at their disposal is the difference between wishful thinking and being realistic and resilient.

6. Creativity: When we face trials and turbulences, we often need to think outside the box to come up with new ways to overcome. Resilient people know that they need to tap into their creative thinking to adjust and adapt. They somehow know what Einstein knew that “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

7. Set Realistic Expectations: Expectations are what we believe about the future. While not crossing the line of being pessimistic, resilient people know that by having unrealistic expectations, they are setting themselves up for a major disappointment, which will lead to frustration. Having realistic expectations is a mental rehearsal which makes us more prepared for what is to come.