Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic

[Music] hello my name is captain Boyer and I'm a clinical psychology intern at the Womack Army Medical Center in Fort Bragg North Carolina as we begin to deal with the aftermath of the Global kovat 19 pandemic that is altered the lives of so many of us I'd like to spend a few minutes today to talk about resiliency what is resiliency and why do we need it resilience can be defined as the mental physical emotional and a behavioral ability to face and cope with adversity adapt to change and recover learn and grow from setbacks it's the ability to maintain normal psychological functioning even in the midst of stressful or chaotic situations now there's no one blueprint for what resiliency looks like in each person and there are many different layers to resiliency that enhance our ability to tolerate stress and this can include physical psychological social and spiritual factors so here are some considerations for each of these areas number one physical resilience maintaining our physical health helps strengthen our ability to cope with adversity it can enhance your self esteem and put you in a state of mind where you are able to do your job more effectively we can work to keep healthy by staying on a regular sleep schedule that leaves you feeling rested engaging in physical activities such as sports or physical training and balancing a healthy diet number two psychological resilience avoid thinking traps that distort your view of reality how often do we catastrophize and assume the worst-case scenario in any given situation by magnifying the negative aspects and minimizing the positive aspects or how often do we see situations is either all bad or all good and not see the nuanced or grey that is so often part of reality or do you find yourself holding on so tight to personal beliefs about how you or those around you should be or active it is difficult to cope when those rules or assumptions are not adhered to be mindful these types of thought distortions that we are all vulnerable to and instead try to develop realistic optimism and a belief in your own abilities to overcome stressors and setbacks this requires knowing your personal strengths and weaknesses as well as the resources you have available and what you will need to be successful such as a behavioral health provider or a chaplain having a positive outlook on life situations is critical to acquiring and maintaining psychological resilience number three social factors people are naturally relational beings and fostering strong interpersonal bonds can be an important factor in building our resiliency a trusted friend can be a source of support and relief in difficult times but they can also provide you with unbiased feedback to help you grow and develop even further find an accountability partner for a battle buddy and whom you can confide and who can challenge you to be the very best version of yourself connected to this try to find creative ways to cultivate good family relationships communicate regularly and spend time together if possible this type of support and encouragement can often help people deal with problems number four spiritual factors there's a phrase that is used often especially in the military but it is used often because it is helpful hunt for the good stuff sometimes we may feel like a small fish in a big pond but perhaps we can take comfort in thinking that we are part of something even bigger than ourselves be intentional about noticing what is good and true and beautiful in the world whether it is in nature in the love shown to or from others or in a deep-seated personal faith holding on to these good things can instill hope and confidence that we and persevere despite our adversities and setbacks it is hard to be resilient and it seems that way now more than ever with social distancing working from home instructions quarantine measures and stay home orders in effect until further notice in different parts of the country you may need to find creative ways to retain a sense of normalcy in your days and enhance your resiliency we know that things like social isolation and substance abuse and unaddressed mental and physical health issues do not contribute to resiliency so try to ensure that you have a support system that is easily accessible and consists of people who know and accept you and care for you to help you build your resiliency the Cova 19 pandemic has been a unique and taxing situation so do not underestimate what you have been through recognize that in spite of the difficulty you are strong and you have what it takes to remain in the fight stay safe and stay strong

Channel: Womack AMC

Views: 188

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Id: pDDj9JUe0dg

Length: 5min 25sec (325 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 12 2020