Coaching for our health and well-being is becoming increasingly popular. As many of us struggle with the uncertainty of the world today, which is leading to an increase in stress and anxiety in both our professional and personal lives, our self-confidence, self-worth, and self-esteem are being affected. The Coronavirus pandemic has shone a stark light on mental health and resilience, so it is no small wonder that Google Trends reported that the search term “health coach, UK” had risen by 250% since January 2021.

The strains on the health system and the newly discovered vulnerability of our society mean that people are more sensitive to their own emotional needs and seeking to make themselves better able to withstand negative influences. This is where Resilience Coaching can help. Typically looking for support with work-life balance or long-term pain and relationship issues, all of which affect our mental and physical well-being, Resilience Coaching helps people explore areas that might be causing them to feel stuck or mentally down.

Finding hidden strengths using powerful questioning, as well as holding space for them to reflect, clients begin to explore and reveal their natural hidden strengths and resilience, which will help them navigate positive change. Resilience Coaching provides clients with the psychological resources to support them going forwards, so when things don’t go as planned, their ability to come back from adversity will be enhanced.

As a Resilience Coach, I work intuitively. My style is to be supportive and collaborative as well as compassionately challenging my clients. Some require one to two sessions while others are looking for support over several months. The important thing to remember is that everyone is unique and has different needs. 

One of my clients, Sara*, wanted to find ways to manage her time better so that she could work, but also have some regular time for herself. She also wanted to look at ways to manage her long-term health conditions and improve her health generally. 12 years ago, Sara was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, among other things, and had to give up work. Since she has become self-employed but finds it hard juggling working from home, as well as doing housework and taking care of her family. She was always extremely tired and sore towards the end of the day, leaving her with no energy to do the things she loves – leaving her both exhausted and emotional. 

Through Resilience Coaching, she was able to challenge her mindset, noticing behavioural patterns that weren’t serving her well. She was then able to find better ways to manage her days and make her health a priority. After a few sessions, Sara was left feeling increasingly motivated. Her sleep improved, her energy levels went up and she was accomplishing a lot more than before, and still had some energy at the end of the day to enjoy family life. 

“I finished the sessions feeling more positive and certainly feeling like I had a much better outlook on life. Thank you, Lisa, for introducing me to Resilience Coaching. I am sure the benefits of these sessions and the relaxation techniques you taught me will continue to improve my health (and timekeeping issues) as I go forward.” – Sara* (name changed for confidentiality)

My aim with Resilience Coaching is to help clients enjoy better health and well-being. My ultimate goal is to see clients find their joy and passion again, as they start to feel empowered by learning to manage their work/life balance, relationships and reduce their pain levels. This often leads clients to take on difficult as well as rewarding challenges in life, leaving them feeling they have a true sense of purpose and fulfilment as their confidence and mental strength grow. 

Combining therapies in my work as a Bowen Therapist, I am often aware of how the current life situation of a client may be affecting their musculoskeletal system or other areas of their body and thus their potential for health improvement. As a fully qualified Resilience Coach, I can address both the physical as well as the mental roots of their blockages, strains or aches, offering a blend of Resilience Coaching and Bowen Therapy.

As a method, Resilience Coaching helps my clients to reflect on their motivations, behaviour patterns and acquired thought processes, intending to change them. With its strong emphasis on self-reflection, but with accountability towards the coach, Resilience Coaching is important as a skill as it provides the impetus and supports many people seek to actually make the change, they have always felt they should or could – but somehow never did. Resilience Coaching can truly be life changing as it can improve key areas of their lives and make them mentally stronger, as well as enhance their physical health.