Life is a journey that does not come with a roadmap to allow individuals to plan and prepare for its twists and turns. Everyone experiences the curves of life from everyday challenges to events in life that cause more lasting effects. Each life experience impacts individuals differently regarding feelings, thoughts, and reactions. Resilience assists individuals in adapting to life changes over time .
The American Psychological Association defines resilience as “The process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress—such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors” (APA 2012).
The unprecedented global COVID-19 crisis has brought our community together while bringing new challenges to our daily lives. October is Resilience month, and this year might look a bit different in staying connected, healthy, and hopeful amidst COVID-19 restrictions.
Resilience will not shield you from experiencing challenges in life. However, resilience can give you the ability to work through these challenges, tools to handle stress and enjoy life. If you would benefit from more resilience in your life, review the four key concepts of resilience and build your Resilience Toolkit today!
Get Connected: engaging in healthy relationships with family and friends for unconditional love and belonging, volunteering, or joining a recreational group or spiritual community.
Foster Wellness: Healthy sleeping, eating, activity habits or mindfulness practices such as yoga, meditation, or journaling.
Hopeful Thinking: accepting change and being proactive can assist with resistance and decreasing anxiety towards change.
Make Every Day Meaningful: write a daily gratitude list, identify, and develop meaningful goals to work towards or to help others.
For other topics and information, Mental Health America of Putnam County has a newly updated website at www.mhaopc.org, a portal to access timely information all dedicated to promoting community-wide mental health.
You can also contact our office through our website, email at info[at]mhaopc.org or call 653-3310 for information about mental health in general, to volunteer and to support or connect with others.