“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” Wayne Dyer
In our resilience workshops at Progressional, reframing is often the moment where the room goes quiet. Not because people don’t understand it, but because they’re testing whether this is going to be another version of “just think differently”, or something that actually respects the reality they’re in.
What they discover is that reframing isn’t about being upbeat. It’s about staying human and still finding a way forward.
What do we actually mean by “reframing”?
When we talk about reframing, we’re talking about the relationship people have with the story they’re telling themselves.
In our experience supporting people through organisational change, redundancy, leadership strain and uncertainty, reframing is the difference between being overwhelmed by what’s happening and being able to respond with intention.
At its core, reframing creates a pause between:
- What happened
- The meaning we attach to it
- The action we take next
That pause might be small, but it’s where agency lives.
Why do people often push back on reframing at first?
We expect resistance. And frankly, we welcome it, it’s normally where things get real. Most people have had reframing sold to them in ways that felt tone deaf or dismissive, especially during difficult periods at work.
We often hear:
- “This sounds like positive thinking dressed up in new language.”
- “I don’t want to gloss over what’s actually happening.”
- “This feels like it puts the responsibility back on the individual.”
Those concerns are valid.
Reframing done badly does minimise experience. Reframing done properly does the opposite. It starts by fully acknowledging what’s difficult, uncomfortable or unfair, and then asks what’s still possible from here.
How is reframing different from pretending things aren’t hard?
This is usually where the shift happens. People realise reframing doesn’t ask them to feel better. It helps them think more clearly. In our workshops, we often hear people say things like:
- “I thought reframing meant convincing myself this was fine. It doesn’t.”
- “I can name how hard this is and still decide how I want to respond.”
- “It gives me options I didn’t realise I had.”
Reframing allows two truths to sit side by side:
- This is genuinely difficult.
- I still have choices.
That combination is where resilience actually shows up.
Is reframing something you’re born with, or something you can build?
It’s easy to assume some people are just more resilient. What we see, time and again, is that people who reframe well have simply had more practice, often without realising it. They tend to:
- Question their first interpretation rather than treating it as fact
- Notice when they’re making assumptions
- Name the emotion that sits with them
- Hold a realistic view of the world without tipping into pessimism
This isn’t personality. It’s pattern.
Where does reframing actually show up in day-to-day work?
Not in the big, dramatic moments alone.
Reframing is built in the everyday interactions people usually brush past:
- Reading an email and assuming tone or intent
- Receiving feedback and personalising it
- Feeling excluded from a decision and jumping to conclusions
- Labelling a colleague instead of staying curious about what’s underneath
These are small moments, but they compound and they build the foundation for how we act in the moments that impact and really challenge us.
Put simply, when people learn to reframe, they’re far better equipped when the bigger challenges arrive.
What does practising reframing involve in practice?
We treat reframing as a skill, not an insight. A simple process we often work with looks like this:
- Notice the story you’re telling yourself
- Dive into the uncomfortableness of emotion
- Identify the assumption or belief driving it
- Ask what else could reasonably be true
- Separate what you can influence from what you can’t
- Choose the response that aligns with who you want to be in the situation
This isn’t about optimism. It’s about clarity. And like any skill, it gets easier with repetition.
Common questions we’re asked about reframing
1. Is reframing just another name for positive thinking?
No. Reframing acknowledges difficulty and emotion, then explores perspectives that support effective action rather than avoidance.
2. Can reframing actually be learned in a workshop?
Yes, when it’s grounded in real examples and practised repeatedly. Insight alone doesn’t change behaviour.
3. Does reframing mean people shouldn’t feel frustrated or upset?
No. Reframing starts with recognising emotion, not bypassing it.
4. Is reframing useful during redundancy or major organisational change?
In our experience, it’s especially useful then, because it helps people separate what has happened from what it means about them or their future.
Why does reframing matter so much for resilience at work?
Because how people interpret challenge directly shapes how they behave inside it. When reframing is practised well, we consistently see:
- Less defensiveness and more constructive dialogue
- Faster recovery after setbacks
- Better decision-making under pressure
- Stronger relationships during periods of change
Resilience isn’t about being unshakeable.
It’s about being able to regain your footing, again and again.
Reframing is one of the ways people learn to do exactly that.
