ABSTRACT
In this book I have looked at developing resilience from a cognitive behavioural perspective ± pinpointing which attitudes and behaviours are likely to help or hinder you in facing adversity ± and presented many case examples of individuals struggling successfully (most of the time) against the odds. Overcoming these adverse events usually changes the way you see yourself: for example, from dif®dent to determined about exerting greater control over the direction of your life. However, there is no guarantee that your resilience skills are now ®xed in perpetuity and will automatically be in evidence when you face the next challenge in your life. One of the most important lessons from therapy is the need to maintain your gains (what you've learnt) on a lifelong basis. Formal therapy is over but the rest of your life stretches out before you, so how are you going to manage this new learning? As an analogy, think about the difference between getting ®t (going from near collapse at the start of training to being able to run a half-marathon at the end of training) and staying ®t (being able to run half-marathons on a regular basis to prevent a decline in your performance).
