Developing Resilience:
- Make connections. Good relationships with close family members, friends, or others are
important. Accepting help and support from those who care about you and will listen to you
strengthens resilience. Some people find that being active in civic groups, faith-based
organizations, or other local groups provides social support and can help with reclaiming hope.
Assisting others in their time of need also can benefit the helper.
- Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable problems. You can’t change the fact that highly stressful
events happen, but you can change how you interpret and respond to these events. Try looking
beyond the present to how future circumstances may be a little better. Note any subtle ways in
which you might already feel somewhat better as you deal with difficult situations.
- Accept that change is a part of living. Certain goals may no longer be attainable as a result of
adverse situations. Accepting circumstances that cannot be changed can help you focus on
circumstances that you can alter.
- Move toward your goals. Develop some realistic goals. Do something regularly — even if it
seems like a small accomplishment — that enables you to move toward your goals. Instead of
focusing on tasks that seem unachievable, ask yourself, “What’s one thing I know I can
accomplish today that helps me move in the direction I want to go?”
- Take decisive actions. Act on adverse situations as much as you can. Take decisive actions,
rather than detaching completely from problems and stresses and wishing they would just go
away.
- Look for opportunities for self-discovery. People often learn something about themselves and
may find that they have grown in some respect as a result of their struggle with loss. Many
people who have experienced tragedies and hardship have reported better relationships,
greater sense of strength even while feeling vulnerable, increased sense of self-worth, a more
developed spirituality, and heightened appreciation for life.
- Nurture a positive view of yourself. Developing confidence in your ability to solve problems and
trusting your instincts helps build resilience.
- Keep things in perspective. Even when facing very painful events, try to consider the stressful
situation in a broader context and keep a long-term perspective.
- Maintain a hopeful outlook. An optimistic outlook enables you to expect that good things will
happen in your life. Try visualizing what you want, rather than worrying about what you fear.
- Take care of yourself. Pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Engage in activities that
you enjoy and find relaxing. Exercise regularly. Taking care of yourself helps to keep your mind
and body primed to deal with situations that require resilience.
A.C.T. is committed to raising awareness of the importance of resiliency during economic crisis for
healthy individuals, families and societies. A.C.T. will provide information on increasing the resiliency
during economic difficulty. For more information, please contact Dr. Drecun or
(858) 792-3541.
