Nearly 50% of individuals in Australia are currently experiencing elevated levels of stress, reflecting a growing and very real challenge to wellbeing, which in turn impacts how individuals show up at work. In an increasingly complex world of work, stress and uncertainty have become common across a variety of workplaces. Without effective coping mechanisms, these experiences can accumulate and lead to burnout, ultimately affecting employees’ professional performance and day-to-day functioning. As such, it is timely to consider what can be done to better support individuals to navigate the range of stressors they encounter.

Research on coping consistently highlights the value of internal coping mechanisms, where individuals take an active role in responding to stress, rather than relying on external support. One concept that captures this approach is cognitive hardiness. Cognitive hardiness encourages individuals to rethink how they respond to stress through three components: commitment, control, and challenge. Rather than aiming to eliminate stress, cognitive hardiness supports individuals to stay engaged, focus on what they can influence, and reframe difficulties as opportunities for growth. Although cognitive hardiness has primarily been studied in high-stress industries, its applicability to contemporary workplaces is both clear and timely.

This workshop is designed as a practical “how-to” session that introduces cognitive hardiness in a way that is immediately applicable. Using a “brick-by-brick” approach, participants will be guided through a structured process to understand and apply the three components of cognitive hardiness. The session moves beyond theory, incorporating practical tools, guided reflection, and real-world scenarios to support skill development and awareness of a novel stress management approach. Participants will actively engage in exercises such as cognitive reframing, stress mapping, and identifying controllable elements within challenging situations, with opportunities for discussion and shared learning throughout.

The workshop is relevant to professionals across a range of industries, including psychologists, particularly given the increasing recognition of self-care as a core competency for psychologists. It aims not only to build participants’ own capacity to respond to stress more effectively, but also to equip them with practical strategies they can use to support others, including clients and teams. Participants will leave with practical tools, templates, and strategies that can be readily applied across a range of personal and professional contexts, supporting more effective and sustainable responses to stress and redefining the way stress is perceived at work, and in life.