Sisu vs Resilience

Is Sisu just another name for resilience?

The topic of resilience in healthcare has been weighing on my mind recently. It appears that resilience building has been integrated into the healthcare management framework as a way of showing solidarity or understanding of the lived experiences of nurses and midwives.

The promotion of "strength" development in healthcare appears to be externally driven. How do you become stronger, “bounce back” in the face of persistent traumatic events, exhaustion, disillusionment? Resilience converstations seem to center around finding what will it take to be well enough to return to work?

Interestingly, on paper, the Finnish concept of Sisu shares some similarities with resilience. From my viewpoint, the Finnish notion of Sisu is more closely linked to an intrinsic or internal strength, a capacity to persevere – akin to a pilot light that can be reignited with proper support, attention, and care not platitudes and a pizza party.

What can you do to nurture more Sisu in your workplace?

Elisabet Lahti, researcher and social advocate, offers five suggestions for developing your capacity to tap into Sisu at work:

Build psychological safety

The belief that you won’t be punished when you make a mistake is critical for fostering more Sisu in workplaces. Psychological safety can give you the space to speak your mind and stand up for what is important, be innovative, and take action despite the risk of failing or making mistakes.

Adopt an action mindset

Rather than shying away from challenges, when you demonstrate Sisu you have a consistent and courageous approach of taking action in the face of stress or adversity, despite your fears and uncertainties. It involves having a growth mindset where you see potential failure as an opportunity to learn, grow, and continually improve.

Recall moments of Sisu

The negativity bias we all have, means that it’s easier to recall the times when you haven’t coped or things haven’t gone well. Overcome your inner critic by taking the time to consider a tough time in your past when you exceeded your expectations to get through. Write this down and use it when you need to remind yourself that you have a good track record of overcoming adversity.

Reach out to others

Sometimes when you’re struggling in a dark place you may find it difficult to ask for help. However, it’s not always possible to do it alone, and by reaching out to others you can gain power by having your strength and courage reflected back to you from someone else’s eyes. Talking to friends or family can be challenging when you are processing difficult experience. Reaching out to your EAP (employee assistance program), counsellor or other mental health care provider.

Create space for Sisu in others

So they can also tap into their inner energy and power to reach their best potential. Use genuine compassion when your colleagues are going through tough times to recognize their suffering as part of what we all share to be human, and respond in ways to understand or alleviate their pain.