Johannes Schmitz's head is pounding. The 37-year-old has been working on a presentation for hours. He fine-tunes the texts, inserts images, integrates animations and sound effects. The pressure in the advertising agency is high. Every 30 minutes, Schmitz's supervisor asks for an update on the important project. "Yes, boss, I'm going as fast as I can," he then replies and hits the keys. It's not until around 10 p.m. that he's done with his work. Overtime is the rule. When Schmitz leaves the agency, he walks straight to the parking garage, as he does every day. But today he pauses for a moment. He sits down on a bench, closes his eyes - and takes a deep breath. Soon he feels the tension fall away from him. His stress level drops. He refuels his energy.

Resilience as protection against stress on mental health

Unfortunately, work and health do not always go hand in hand. A permanently high stress level at work can become a burden on mental health. Overworked employees are in a difficult situation: on the one hand, they want to continue to deliver good performance at work; on the other, they are threatened with mental health problems if they do not shift down a gear.

"Resilience - The Path to Inner Strength," the title of an e-learning course from Security Island, shows ways and means that make healthy working possible. It's not about ergonomic office chairs or height-adjustable desks. Rather, the focus is on the concept of mindfulness.

What is meant by the term resilience? 

The "Duden" dictionary describes the term "mindfulness" first and foremost as another word for "attention". This may be correct in everyday life, but in the context described here it falls short. In Security Island's e-learning course, mindfulness is considered a practice for building resilience.

The following definition explains what resilience means: Resilience is understood as mental resilience. It is seen in the context of crises and challenges and then means learning to cope with them.

Resilience is a development process

Resilience does not happen overnight. Resilience is a development process. To overcome hurdles, we need moments of calm, enough energy, and we need to know our limits. Resilience is an enormously important skill, because our lives are made up of constant change, both at work and in our private lives. To meet these challenges and avoid mental illness, everyone is well advised to strengthen their resilience.

Companies that value healthy work must focus the attention of each and every employee on the topic of resilience. Security Island's e-learning makes this possible. In addition to the seven pillars of resilience, it also shows three concrete ways in which employees can achieve greater inner strength. The goals are: to work healthily, to balance mental health and to avoid mental illness. The improved well-being of employees in this way leads to increased productivity in the workplace - and thus to sustainable corporate success.

Phases of pause to strengthen individual resilience

For this success to occur, it is important, among other things, that employees are able to take short breaks throughout the day. This measure serves to strengthen their resilience. In this phase of pause, they can find peace, listen to themselves and regenerate. They have time to ask themselves how they are feeling right now, what they need right now, what they want to refrain from doing, and what they have had enough of. Through this question-and-answer session with their own self, they can regain inner strength and become more resilient.

Those who want to achieve a lot at work also need a lot of energy. Employees in a company must therefore recognize what gives them positive energy and what robs them of precious energy. For example, it is beneficial for resilience if they eat well, get enough sleep, exercise and maintain social contacts. At the same time, however, they must avoid difficult situations and stressful tasks. This is the only way to keep their energy levels in balance.

Resilience as a helpful skill in difficult situations

It is also important for resilience to set limits, expand them and respect them. As mentioned earlier, our lives consist of constant change. Again and again, we need to take different perspectives and question our current situation. What do I need to be satisfied with life? What can I confidently do without? By asking such questions, we are able to set boundaries that provide a framework for our actions.

The three paths to resilience shown in Security Island's online course are not automatic. Just because someone knows that to be healthy they need to pause regularly, fill their energy stores, and set boundaries, doesn't mean they will do so. But to sustainably increase resilience, the three developmental stages must be actively gone through again and again. Of course, this is easier said than done in the often stressful professional life.

Based on this knowledge, the e-learning "Resilience - The path to inner strength" contains a series of practical exercises. To complete them, participants usually only need a few minutes. This makes them ideal to integrate into everyday life. Anyone who takes the exercises seriously will realize that resilience can be learned by anyone. Everything they need for this is already inside them. Deep down, everyone knows what is important to them, what is good for them and what is not. Many people have simply forgotten how to listen carefully to themselves. This is exactly where Security Island's e-learning comes in.

Strengthening personal resilience in the e-learning from Security Island

Those who complete the e-learning "Resilience - The path to inner strength" will learn to accept resistance. He no longer has to waste his energy fighting change. Security Island's e-learning provides insight into important basics of the topic. The online course is aimed at people who are interested in the interplay between work and health for professional reasons, but it also addresses people in their private environment who want to promote their resilience for personal reasons.

You can all use your new knowledge to become stronger and more resilient people if you take the time to do so and always stay tuned to these topics. Believe us: it's worth it!