Bouncing Back: 10 English Phrasal Verbs for Resilience
Language for life's harder moments
This month we’re looking at the theme of resilience across my platforms. It’s something we often need to talk about in the real, everyday sense: the experience of going through something difficult and somehow finding a way to keep going. Whether that’s a setback at work, a personal loss, a period of uncertainty, or simply the accumulation of a hard few months.
I’ve noticed that learners often have a lot to say about this, but they don’t always have the language to say it. They might know words like ‘strong’ or ‘difficult’, but when it comes to describing the process of getting through something, they often struggle to find the words.
That's where phrasal verbs come in.
A lot of the nuance in English lives in phrasal verbs. They're not just informal shortcuts, they carry real meaning that more formal vocabulary often can't.
In this post, I want to share ten phrasal verbs that native speakers use when they talk about resilience. Some of them might already be familiar. Others might be new. But I hope that by the end, you'll have words not just for the concept, but for the experience.
When you're in the middle of it
Let's start with the verbs that describe what it feels like when you're still in the thick of things, when you haven't come out the other side yet, but you're still going.
Push through
To continue doing something despite difficulty or exhaustion.
This one captures that particular kind of effort where you're tired, maybe discouraged, but you keep moving anyway. It's active and determined.
I was ready to quit, but I pushed through the final weeks of the course and I'm so glad I did.
Carry on
To continue doing something despite difficulty, tiredness, or discouragement.
This one is very common in everyday English and feels slightly gentler than push through. It suggests continuing steadily, even when things are difficult.
She carried on working even though she was exhausted.
A quick grammar note: carry on is usually followed by a verb in the -ing form when you’re talking about continuing an action. For example: He carried on talking, They carried on trying, I just need to carry on going.
Soldier on
To keep going bravely and without complaint despite hardship.
This one has a slightly more stoic quality. It suggests continuing without making a fuss and carrying on even when things are hard. It's a very British expression and you'll hear it often in everyday conversation.
Despite everything going wrong with the project, the team soldiered on and got it finished.
Hold on
To keep going through a difficult period, especially when things feel out of your control.
Unlike push through or soldier on, hold on is more passive. You're not necessarily fighting; you're enduring. It carries a sense of patience and quiet hope. It expresses the idea that things will change if you just don't let go.
I know things feel overwhelming right now. Just hold on.
When you start to come out the other side
Then there are the verbs that describe turning points — the moment you start to move forward again.
Get through (something)
To survive or endure a difficult experience until it ends
What I love about get through is that it acknowledges the difficulty directly. You don't minimise what happened, you got through it.
I don't know how we got through that period, but we did.
You can use it with an object (get through the crisis, get through the exams) or without one, when the difficulty is already understood: ‘We'll get through’
Pick yourself up
To motivate yourself to try again after failure or disappointment.
This is a more personal, internal phrase. It's about the private moment of deciding to try again. You'll often hear it alongside dust yourself off. The full expression ‘pick yourself up, dust yourself off’ has a lovely sense of getting ready to go again.
The audition didn't go well, but she picked herself up and kept auditioning.
Come through
To survive or succeed despite a hard experience.
Come through focuses on the outcome; the fact that you made it. It's often used in the past tense and carries a quiet sense of pride.
They came through the hardest year of their lives closer than ever.
The recovery itself
Finally, there are phrasal verbs that describe the longer process — the rebuilding that happens after.
Bounce back
To recover quickly after a setback or difficult experience.
This is probably the most commonly used of all the verbs in this post. It suggests energy, elasticity and a natural return to form. You'll hear it in business contexts, sports, and everyday conversation.
She had a difficult start to the year, but she bounced back really quickly.
Build back up
To gradually restore strength, confidence, or something else that was lost.
Where bounce back suggests a quick recovery, build back up acknowledges that sometimes it takes time. It's slower, more deliberate and often more honest about what the process actually feels like.
After the burnout, it took months to build his confidence back up. But he got there.
Rise above
To refuse to be affected by negativity or difficulty, responding with dignity.
This one has a slightly different quality to the others. Rising above isn't just about surviving, it's about choosing not to be pulled down by something. It implies a kind of quiet strength.
Instead of reacting to the criticism, she rose above it and focused on what she could control.
Want to practise using language like this in a real conversation?
That's exactly what my one-to-one sessions are for. We work on the kind of English that helps you express yourself clearly and naturally, around topics that are actually relevant to your life. If that sounds like what you need, I'd love to hear from you.
Why this language matters
I think there's something important in having words for difficult experiences. Not to dramatise them, but because language gives us a way to process what's happening — to share it with someone else, or simply to name it for ourselves.
When a learner can say "I'm trying to push through" or "I'm slowly building myself back up," something shifts. The experience becomes speakable. And that matters.
These phrasal verbs won't make hard things easy. But they might help you find the words for where you are — and that's a start.