'RESILIENCE - WHAT IS IT? HOW CAN

YOU DEVELOP IT

Dr Charlie EasmonMedical Director@charlieeasmon

I'M SPARTACUS!

PUSSY RIOT

NOT RESILIENT

Drunk court reporter repeatedly typed 'I hate my job. I

hate my job. I hate my job.’

Alcoholic Manhattan court stenographer Daniel

Kochanski wreaked havoc on some 30 court cases

after typing 'gibberish' instead of documenting speech,

at one point 'going Shining' and repeatedly typing 'I

hate my job'.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Understanding resilience: what are

the factors that affect our resilience?

How can we gauge our ‘resilience

barometer’ personally?

2. Practical strategies to help you be

mindful of your resilience and keep

yourself strong over time - mind, body,

spirit, community.

INTRODUCTION: LET'S MEET US!

• Here we are in the 21st century, all that technology, and yet we appear completely at the

mercy of our base emotions. In terms of human nature, we haven't changed that much.

• Joydeep Bhattacharya

DEFINITIONS OF RESILENCE

• Resilience in psychology refers to the idea of an individual's tendency to cope with

stress and adversity. This coping may result in the individual "bouncing back" to a

previous state of normal functioning, or simply not showing negative effects.[1] A

third, more controversial form of resilience is sometimes referred to as

'posttraumatic growth' or 'steeling effects' where in the experience adversity leads

to better functioning (much like an inoculation gives one the capacity to cope well

with future exposure to disease). Resilience is most commonly understood as a

process, and not a trait of an individual.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_resilience

THE EASY 3 OF RESILIENCE

If Resilience is the ability to bounce back from

Adversity, Challenge & Injury you need

1) Purpose

2) Connection

3) Control

Those who have a ‘why’ to live can cope with any

how’ (life throws at them). Victor Frankl

FACTORS THAT PROMOTE RESILIENCE

• The ability to cope with stress effectively and in a healthy manner

• Having good problem-solving skills

• Seeking help

• Holding the belief that there is something one can do to manage your feelings and cope

• Having social support

• Being connected with others, such as family or friends

• Self-disclosure of the trauma to loved ones

• Spirituality

• Having an identity as a survivor as opposed to a victim

• Helping others (July 7 Dr Olympic Volunteer)

• Finding positive meaning in the trauma• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_resilience

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF PROBLEMS

• Intensified feelings of anxiety, irritability or cynicism.

• Difficulties sleeping.

• Constantly feeling tired or finding it difficult to maintain focus.

• Losing our creative drive.

• Feeling rushed and overwhelmed by our daily obligations.

• Decreased self-esteem.

• Comfort eating.

• Digestive problems.

• Decreased energy levels and sex drive.

• Reliance on drugs and alcohol.

• http://www.facilitatingbalance.com

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

• What is stress?

• We all talk about stress, and being stress free but what does it actually mean?

• People use the term stress to describe the feeling they have when it all seems too much,

when they are overloaded and don't feel that they are able to meet all the demands

placed upon them. That's not to say that a bit of pressure isn't good for you. Some

pressure is inevitable. But it's important to know the difference between pressure and

stress. Problems arise when the pressure you're under is more than you are able to cope

with.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

• Am I stressed? If you think you might be experiencing stress ask yourself the following

questions:

• Are you angry and impatient with people close to you?

• Do you feel close to tears over small events?

• Are you behaving differently from usual?

• Do you feel isolated from people around you?

• Is your self-esteem at rock bottom?

• What are the physical symptoms of stress?

• SleeplessnessLoss of appetite or irregular eatingPanic attacks and difficulty breathing

• Tight, knotty feelings in your stomachLow energy and lack of concentrationLoss of

interest in things around you

• http://www.stresschecktraining.com/symptoms-of-stress.html

TOOLS: SOCIAL GRADIENT IN HEALTH

TOOLS: NOT 1 BUT 2 POPULATIONS

• Support Staff Vs the Rest

TOOLS: CONTROL

Control is essential to the peace of mind not only of

the head of a business but of the humblest employee

Lord Northcliffe

TOOLS: WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

We EAT more than we need

I saw few die of hunger; of eating, a hundred thousand.

WHAT IS HEALTHY EATING?

Moderation

Enjoyment

Balance

Informed choices

Practical

nutrition

education

Fun

exercise

sessions

Healthy

behaviour

change

An engaging, flexible, low-cost resource which supports individuals to reduce sedentary behaviours, increase activity levels and improve eating habits.

This facilitated self help programme was developed in partnership with the United Kingdom Fitness Industry Association.

Approved by the Department of Health Cross Government Obesity Unit, United Kingdom.

Increasingly used by companies to improve employee wellness.

Supporting adults to adopt healthy, active, lifestyles

MARMOT

Change the environment & change

the behaviour.

THE WHY! PHYSICAL & MENTAL/HEALTH

Unhealthy workers are up to 12% less productive

Return of 3/1 for spends on health improvement

Weight – UK the ‘fat man’ of Europe - Stress 20% -Smoking 21%

Alcohol 25% - High Blood Pressure 33%

BLAME

TOOLS: CHANGE YOUR APPROACH TO CHANGE &

BLAME!

EVEN IF YOU'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK,

YOU'LL GET RUN OVER IF YOU JUST SIT

THERE. WILL ROGERS

TOOLS: DR KAREN REIVICH: THE SEVEN

‘LEARNABLE’ SKILLS OF RESILIENCE •

1. Emotion awareness or regulation.

This is primarily the ability to identify what you are feelings and, when necessary, the

ability to control your feelings.

2.Impulse control.

Highly resilient people are able to tolerate ambiguity so they don’t rush to make

decisions. They sit back and look at things in a thoughtful way before acting.

3. Optimism

This means having an optimistic ‘explanatory style’ (see Optimism chapter. However, it is

‘realistic optimism’ which is important. Not pie-in-the-sky optimsim. People who are

blindly optimistic who, for example, stick their heads in the sand, do not have a brand of

optimism which facilitates problem solving: in fact it, interferes with it. So for optimism to

help resilience, it needs to be ‘wed to reality’.

4. Causal analysis

This means the ability to think comprehensively about the problems you confront. Folks

who score high in resilience are able to look at problems from many perspectives and

consider many factors.

TOOLS: DR KAREN REIVICH: THE SEVEN

‘LEARNABLE’ SKILLS OF RESILIENCE

• 5.Empathy

People who score high on emotional awareness and understand their own emotions tend

also to score high on empathy - the ability to read and understand the emotions of others.

This is important for resilience for two reasons: first, it helps build relationships with

others and then this gives social support

6. Self-efficacy

This is confidence in your ability to solve problems. This is partly about knowing what

your strengths and weaknesses are and relying on your strengths to cope. Reivich

stresses that this is different than self esteem. In other words, it is not just about feeling

good about yourself, it is what she calls 'a skills based mastery based notion of coping'.

7. Reaching out

By this Reivich means being prepared to take appropriate risk. People who score high

on resilience are willing to try things and think failure is a part of life.

EXERCISES

• List Frustrations - work & home life.

• Meditation

• Exercise

• Nutrition

• Moderation of alcohol & drugs

• Sleep

• Mental health

• Healthy

• Line management skills & The Peter Principle - Have you been promoted to your level of

incompetence.

• Take Control - What do you want me to drop?

WHO ARE YOU?

WHO ARE YOU?

• If we didn't feel stress, anxiety, regret, pain - we'd be monsters; we wouldn't be human

Jennifer Lopez

• All is lost with war, nothing is lost with dialogue.

• Pope Pius XII

• Are you an AA Gill type:

• My factory setting is stoic glumness with panic on the side. OR

• The Bridge: Do you lack empathy?

• Q: Would you like the recipe?

• A: No, it wasn't tasty.

• OR

• I am at the age where I know what I like and the kind of people I like, and what makes me

happy. And if something doesn't make me happy, I speak out. Catherine Deneuve

KNOW YOURSELF & YOUR CHALLENGES

• It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperilled in a

thousand battles: if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself , you will win one

and loose one; if you do not know your enemies or yourself, you will be imperilled in

every single battle

• Sun Tzu

• Get yourself heard

• Who/what are you at war with & not talking to?

• Deal with your Charlie - Be a Contender

TOOLS: 7 HABITS LEAD TO A HEALTHIER LIFE

• 1. Moderate alcohol consumption

• 2. No tobacco smoke

• 3. Regular exercise

• 4. 7-8 hours sleep a day

• 5. Regular meals with no snacking

• 6 Maintenance of moderate body weight

• 7. Regular consumption of breakfast

• Lester Breslow US public heath physician

EVELYNE TROUILLOT, HAITIAN POET

• One morning I awoke empty

• There remained not the slightest trace of me in the room

• My body took indistinctly the form of whatever object was in reach

• I did not succeed in looking at myself in the mirror

• I could not even locate the bottom of my pockets

• Not one single hair lay on the very white sheet

• Then I opened the room door:

• I had left myself outside.

TOOLS: 5 WAYS

• 1. Connect...

• 2. Keep Learning...

• 3. Be Active...

• 4. Take Notice...

• 5. Give...Building the ‘5 ways to wellbeing’ into a healthy lifestyle

RESILIENCE

• You

• Events

• Environment

• Emotions

• Empathy

WHO CAN WE LEARN FROM?

• Check out the top 5 regrets of the dying: www.inspirationandchai.com/regrets-of-the-dying.html

• This sounds like a good idea www.thecarephone.com

•

STEPHEN COVEY

• 7 habits of highly effective people.

1. Be Proactive

2. Begin with the end in mind

3. Put first things first

4. Think win/win

5. Seek first to understand… then to be

understood

6. The whole is greater than the sum of the

parts

7. Physical, spiritual, mental, social/emotional

fitness (preserving and enhancing your assets

STEPHEN COVEY

• Within Physical, spiritual, mental, social/emotional fitness (preserving and enhancing your assets

SHARPEN THE SAW

SELIGMAN: RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF

DEFEAT...NOT AN INBORN TRAIT; IT (CAN) BE

ACQUIRED/EXPLANATORY STYLES

• 3 dimensions:

• Permanence

• Pervasiveness

• Personalisation.

SELIGMAN TOOL /ABCDE

• Adversity

• Belief

• Consequences

• Disputing your pessimistic beliefs

• Energization

• What we want is not blind optimism but flexible optimism - optimism with its eyes open.

We must be able to use pessimism's keen sense of reality when we need it, but without

having to dwell in its dark shadows. Pg 270 on teachers is crucial.

TOOLS:

TOOLS: GUIDED MEDITATION

A TOOL USED IN ST JAMES SCHOOL INTRODUCED BY

HEADMASTER MR BODDY

4 AREAS:

MIND

BODY

SPIRIT

COMMUNITY-BUILDING

TOOLS: LINE MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Manage discipline

Manage absence

Prevent bullying and harassment

Manage flexible work hours

Prevent stress

Ensure good working relationships

Manage performance and work-load

TOOLS: HEALTHY DEBATE: 6 THINKING HATS

White: Pure facts, figures, informationRed: Emotions, feelings, hunches and intuitionBlack: Devil’s advocate, negative judgement, why it will not workYellow: Brightness and Optimism, positive, constructive, opportunityGreen: Fertile, creative, plants springing from seeds, movement, provocationBlue: Cool and control, orchestra conductor, thinking about thinking

TOOLS: PEOPLE MOTIVATORS BY FREDERICK

HERTZBERG

• Achievement

Recognition

The work itself

Advancement

Responsibility

TOOLS: LEARN FROM THE BEST!

Fanny Berkoff 103 Sunday Times Nov 2011

‘You’ve got to look after yourself, you’ve got to sit upright and walk straight.’

LAO TZU

• In choosing your dwelling, know how to dive in the hidden deeps.

• In dealing with others, know how to be gentle and kind.

• In speaking, know how to keep your words.

• In governing, know how to maintain order.

• In transacting business, know how to be efficient.

• In making a move, know how to choose the right moment.

• If you do not strive with others, You will be free from blame.