Building Resilience

Building resilience through times of change and uncertainty

Any adversity or significant change can have an unsettling impact on us, but, as we are all aware, dealing with a pandemic over the last year has been particularly difficult.  Stress is a normal part of life, but we need to take steps to ensure that our responses to it do not start to have a negative impact on our mental and physical health.

 

Building resilience can help us to move from simply surviving through tough times to actually thriving. We can develop action plans to deal with stressful situations which in turn will have a positive impact on both our personal and work life.

 

Some of us are lucky to have a natural resiliency which helps us get through challenging times, but many of us do not. The good news is that we can build our resiliency. We just need to take action early before stress takes us over.

The good news is that we can build our resiliency. We just need to take action early before stress takes us over. 

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Anticipate and prepare for challenges

Look Up

Identify when you are under stress

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Recognize your physical and emotional responses to stress

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Choose healthy strategies to respond:

  • Relaxation techniques (time in nature, mindfulness, deep breathing, music, laughter)
  • Physical activity (walking, hiking, biking, yoga, tai chi)
  • Social support (connecting with colleagues, family and friends)
  • Other activities you enjoy (crafts, drawing, woodworking)
  • Establishing boundaries (not take on more than you can handle or think only of others’ needs )
  • Asking for help when you need it
  • 4 As – Accept, Avoid, Alter or Adapt (See “Plan for Resilience” workbook in Resources below)
Calendar

Watch out for automatic thinking traps

(See “Healthy Thinking” in Resources below)

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Utilize your strengths instead of focusing on your weaknesses

Speaking

Access other resources as needed

Nature

Practice basic self-care (sleep, healthy nutrition, exercise)

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Other resources: