Bright lights

Costa Rica, 2015. The crowd of triathletes line up in front of the water. They have a tiring race ahead of them: a 1.5 kilometre swim followed by a 30 kilometre bike ride and an 11 kilometre run.

For one contestant, Lesley Paterson, winning the race was more important than anyone could possibly imagine.

For years, Paterson had nurtured a dream. She wanted to adapt a novel - All Quiet on the Western Front - into a screenplay. But time was running out.

Without the prize money, she would lose the film rightsA person with film rights owns the rights to make a particular book into a film. to the novel. And to add an extra layer of difficulty to the race, Paterson was competing with a broken shoulder.

Most would have given up and gone home. Instead, Paterson pushed on not only to finish - but to win the race. It was the start of an incredible journey that took her from a triathlon in Costa Rica all the way to the OscarsA colloquial name for the Academy Awards, named after a nickname for the golden statue given to winners. ceremony.

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from hard times. But can anyone learn to become as resilient as Lesley Paterson?

Some experts argue that some people are simply born with more resilience.  However, others believe that resilience can be improved through intentional effort. 

Studies have found that certain personality traits, such as optimism, are linked to higher levels of resilience. Psychologist George Bonanno says it is all about how we think about stressful events.

There are practical steps that individuals can take to increase their resilience. These include prioritising self-care, learning new skills and setting achievable goals. 

In the end, resilience is not simply a thing that one is either born with or without. Rather, it is a combination of factors, including genetics, upbringing, relationships and intentional effort. With effort, say psychologists, anyone can work to improve their resilience.

Yes: Resilience is a combination of psychological, emotional, and behavioural traits that can be developed and strengthened over time through various practices such as mindfulness.

No: Research has shown that certain genetic variations may make some people more prone to stress, while others may have a greater capacity to cope with stress and bounce back from adverse events.

Or... The journey to becoming more resilient can look different for each individual, and some people may face greater challenges in building resilience due to past experiences or current life circumstances.