Source: How to Bounce Back | Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Aging With Physical Disabilities

How to Bounce Back – Aging with a Disability Factsheet Series

Jump to Section:

• What Is Resilience?
• How Do People Cope with Disabilities as They Age?
• What Makes Us Resilient?
• How Can You Build up Your Resilience?
• Resources and References

Living with a disability can be stressful at times. Resilience is a term that describes how we cope with stress. By building up our resilience, we can stay more engaged in life.

What Is Resilience?

Resilience describes our ability to bounce back and keep going after a stressful experience. Different people define resilience in different ways. When we asked people with disabilities to describe resilience in their own words, some descriptions included:

• Bouncing back, or being “buoyant.”
• “Rolling with” or “dancing with” a disability.
• Taking things one day at a time, while also planning for the future.
• Finding a “new normal” as life changes.
• Making the best of life with a disability.
• Trusting that stressful times will pass, like the weather.