Newsletter
May, 2011
Greetings!
It's been a busy month! I hope that this letter finds you all well. In this newsletter I wanted to talk about a very important quality that separates people from a Psychiatric perspective, resilience.
A lot of you already know what this is, but for those of you that don't it's the ability of a person to overcome adversity. In my terms, when the going gets tough - you get going!
One of the things that I work on with patients a lot is developing and maturing this skill so that it's available when one needs it. Below, I'm going to give you some tips on how to beef up your resilience.
Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Dr. L
Resilience WORK OUT!!
- An Army of One - You need to first depend upon yourself. For some that's tough, but you have to remember that ultimately the only one that you can truly depend upon is you. First assess how you are doing both physically and emotionally. Make sure that you are keeping up with the basics for yourself which includes: participating in activities you enjoy, exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep and eating well.
- Have a sense of purpose - by having something meaningful to focus on this will allow you to see where you are in this moment and understand that no matter what you are dealing with now - you will conquer this because you have a higher purpose. There is more to you than this one adverse situation.
- Access your own data bank - As we just said, you are more than this one situation and you've possibly dealt with tougher things in the past. Use your own data bank to help you in this present situation. Can you see any similarities? Use the positive skills that have benefited you in the past and at the same recognize some things that you did in the past that were not such good ideas and don't repeat those.
- Have a sense of humor - Sometimes when I get down, it helps for me to see the funny side of things. Humor is a mature defense mechanism and allows you to recognize the situation for what it is. I'll sometimes watch a funny TV show or movie to help remove the negative from my brain for a little while so I can come back to the situation refreshed and renewed.
- Be Flexible - Change is good and sometimes adverse situations present themselves to tell you that you need to change. What you've been doing in the past isn't working. Some people view change as negative, but those aren't resilient people. See this as a challenge and face up to it by being willing to change.
- Work toward a goal - Resilient people know that they are working toward a higher goal and therefore little things don't seem to be as big. Make a list and do something every day from that list and check it off. That can give you a sense of accomplishment and a feeling that you are in control of where you are now and where you're going. Even small, everyday goals are important. My husband laughs at my little daily lists, but it also gives him a sense that I know where I'm going. Having goals helps you look toward the future.
- Get Moving! - You don't know how many patients put their problems onto me and tell me to fix them, or they wish for their problems to go away. Resilient people MAKE their problems go away. Figure out what needs to be done (we can do that in session), make a plan and take action.
Thanks for reading the newsletter and I look forward to seeing you again soon! Don't forget to email me some suggestions/ideas for the content of the letter if you're not getting what you want out of it - TAKE ACTION!
Sincerely,
Dr. L
