As the year draws to a close and the pace of work quickens, our Women in Aviation network came together for a timely and thought-provoking webinar on Habits for Resilience, led by Sally England from our Learning & Development team.

Co-hosted by NRF and PropelHer, the session offered practical strategies and psychological insights to help us build sustainable resilience habits, both in and beyond the workplace.

Sally left the audience with a powerful reminder: resilience isn’t just about bouncing back; it’s about bouncing forward. It’s not a solo pursuit, but something we cultivate through connection, reflection, and small, consistent actions. 

Common challenges to resilience

Participants reflected on the pressures that can chip away at resilience, including:

• Work-life balance

• Imposter syndrome

• Uncertainty and emotional overload

• Thinking traps and catastrophic thinking

• Lack of sleep, poor boundaries, and isolation

Recognising these challenges is the first step toward managing them. Sally encouraged us to reflect on our own triggers and habits, and to consider what small, practical changes could make a meaningful difference.

Seven habits to build resilience

The session explored seven key habits, each grounded in research and real-world application:

1. Recognise that perception drives feelings: It’s not the situation itself, but how we interpret it.
2. Avoid thinking traps: Challenge assumptions and self-critical thoughts.
3. Identify and challenge your “icebergs”: Those deep-rooted beliefs that shape how we react.
4. Minimise catastrophic thinking: Especially at night, when our emotional brain takes over.
5. Put things into perspective: Ask yourself: what’s the worst, best, and most likely outcome?
6. Choose realistic optimism: Hunt out the good stuff and shift your focus from negative to realistic positivity.
7. Build strong relationships: Resilience is nurtured through connection and support; invest in relationships that help you bounce back.

One of the most resonant takeaways? Resilience is a team sport.

Whether it’s through mentoring, community groups, or simply having someone to laugh with, our networks help us navigate challenges and keep perspective when things get tough.

Strategies for building and maintaining resilience levels

What do we think of as sources of resilience? Resilience can be found through humour, empathy, purpose, perspective and vision to name a few. 

The session highlighted the importance of expanding your network to cultivate a range of supportive relationships that can be your sources of resilience, whether that be through work, hobbies, sports clubs or community groups. 

We discussed the importance of sleep, which according to psychological research is the most impactful of the four main pillars of health, alongside movement, nutrition and relaxation. Sleep recalibrates our emotions and can enhance our ability to learn, memorise and make logical decisions. One of the takeaway suggestions was to minimise screen time before going to sleep, and put your phone in a different room, which we should all try!

Forming sustainable resilience habits to set yourself up for success

At the end of this thought-provoking webinar, Sally left us with a prompt to choose one habit to start, stop, or continue. We plan to make a conscious effort to focus on the controllable, build a strong support network and practice self-compassion in stressful times. 

Thank you to Sally England for delivering this webinar, our Women in Aviation network and PropelHer for bringing us together to consider how we can form sustainable resilience habits to set ourselves up for success.