While the answer may be painfully obvious, trampolining helps develop an ability to bounce back. Resilience is the ability to bounce back in life, whether from illness or injury or overcoming an obstacle. Jumping on a trampoline is probably one of the best literal and metaphorical examples of resilience. In this article, we will explain exactly how regular trampolining can help develop resilience, at any age.

What is Resilience?

The dictionary defines resilience as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties —the ability to bounce back. Resilience is a toughness that allows some people to be knocked down and rebound stronger than ever rather than letting failure overcome and drain them.

So, how do you teach resilience?

It would be cruel to push your child over and let them continue to get up to teach them a lesson about overcoming being knocked down in life. You could wait and take each failure or challenge as an opportunity to teach about resilience. Or, what we think is a better option, is to encourage a positive outlook and provide opportunities to bounce back. Of course, we mean literal bounce-back such as what happens when you jump on a trampoline.

How Trampolining Helps Develop Resilience

It encourages confidence

When you do any physical activity, it helps to develop a multitude of things including strength, coordination, logical reasoning, and endurance. It also helps to show, or prove, what you are capable of. Many of us will be awkward and clumsy the first time we try a physical feat for the first time —walking, dancing, throwing a ball— but, with repetition and practice, our skills improve, as does our confidence in ourselves. Trampolining is no different, it is a physical activity that provides the opportunity to learn new things. The beauty of trampolines is the resilient surface that pops a jumper back up, even if they didn’t land the jump just right. A trampoline offers a little more forgiveness than other sports and encourages jumpers to try again and again.

It regulates hormone response

Regular exercise of any kind promotes the natural release of endorphins, the “happy hormone.” Endorphins help people to have a more positive outlook on life in general, which is important when faced with challenges or obstacles. Exercise also helps to keep the stress hormone, cortisol, at bay. Decreasing the amount of cortisol in your system can help numb the hormonal response to sudden psychological stress, like a failure or sudden deviation from a plan. Regulating these hormones can help improve sleep and decrease anxiety, both of which are contributing factors to resilience.

It boosts your immune system

Trampolining is an excellent way to promote immune function! One thing that really does a number on your immune system is stress. As we talked about in the previous section, exercise helps to reduce stress hormones and increase happy hormones. In addition, trampolining is an incredibly fun way to exercise, which helps increase the jumper’s mood and energy through laughing and positive vibes. Decreasing stress and improving mood are not the only immune boosters in trampolining, though! The continual movement trampolining causes increases blood circulation throughout the body, including to the lymphatic system, which stimulates the immune system and its functions. Trampolining biologically boosts your immune system!

Provides the bounce when you can’t find your own

Have you ever seen someone crying while jumping on a trampoline? Or laying perfectly still on one? If you have, that was an extremely rare experience. Trampolining is a fun activity that makes it nearly impossible to not smile. We aren’t entirely sure if it is the pure joy of completely letting go and releasing your inner child or the mock feeling of flying, but trampolining is scientifically proven (okay, maybe not, but pretty close) to improve your mood, even when you are down and resisting a smile. Because of the elastic surface on the trampoline, it is difficult to lay still on one. At times when your heart isn’t into launching into another jump, the trampoline surface provides the bounce for you, even when you are finding it difficult to find your own. These qualities provide tools for your resilience toolbox to use when you encounter struggles in life.

Trampolining helps develop physical and mental toughness and is the ultimate metaphor for resilience. To help instill resilience in your child or to develop your own resilience, visit your local trampoline park today! If you are looking for a trampoline park in Jacksonville, Florida, come check out Rebounderz Extreme Fun Zone now!