Author: Alonzo Rumfelt
Stress is a normal part of life. It can be the burst of excitement or the sense of concentration which helps you to do your best when faced with a new or challenging situation. On the other hand, staying in constant stress mode can make us vulnerable to anxiety, depression and other health problems. What do you do when everyday occurrences and problems begin to overwhelm you?
Some of us fall victim to a cycle of negative coping strategies such as overeating, substance misuse, avoidance, risky behavior, and even extreme exercising in attempts to manage chronic stress. While some coping mechanisms are relatively innocuous (binge-watching Netflix), others can be detrimental to our health, financial stability, or relationships.
Good coping skills include planning ahead, taking time to regroup, eating healthy, getting enough sleep, exercising within your limits, mindfulness, activating your support network, among others. Some coping skills are better at helping to lay a foundation of resilience for future stressful situations than others.
Resilience… Resilience to stress and overwhelm isn’t developed in a vacuum. One can’t develop a muscle in the absence of stress and pressure on that muscle. That’s not to say that you have to suffer terribly to build resilience, but resilience has to be put under some kind of pressure in order to exist. In other words, without stress and overwhelm there would be little need for resilience. But, we can develop the attitudes, routine and mindset of resilience in advance of being hit with hard times or difficult situations.
When life seems to be drowning you in quotidian concerns, it can be difficult to come up for air. Just remember that you have survived numerous hardships in your life. I’ll list a few. Please take a few minutes to think about how you’re stronger because of these events.
- birth
- a move or disruption in the home
- freshman year of high school
- first heartbreak
- influenza, pneumonia, chickenpox, etc.
- loss of a loved one
- loss of a pet
This list could be sizable for some people, and not very full for others. Either way, there are things that each of us has been through that have made us stronger. We are here. We are breathing. We can continue make it through difficult times if we will allow resilience to develop in our lives.
Here in Juneau, we have an upcoming opportunity to learn about resilience across the lifespan! The Juneau Suicide Prevention Coalition is hosting “Lighting the Way to Resilience” on March 15, ahead of the ARRR! Attachment, Responsive Relationships, Resilience conference. Everyone is welcome – fill your toolbox and join the discussion!
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