If you have any questions on these tip sheets, please email the Neuropsychology staff at Neuropsychology@rhin.com

TIP SHEET:How to Maintain Resilience in Fragile Times

Neuropsychology Department

Nearly everyone feels off balance these days. Life has been disrupted immensely by this virus. No doubt social distancing has affected each and every one of you; how you work, and how your families function on a day-to-day basis. We all strive for stability in life and work hard to earn it, so it can be discouraging to feel like our lives are up in the air because of a situation we didn’t cause. So, how do you build resilience when it seems every day that the struggle is a little different?

Tips for being resilientStart with self-compassion: • Just because life doesn’t feel as stable as it once did,

for you or your family, doesn’t mean you are failing.

Challenge unhelpful thoughts• Do you have any “all or nothing thinking?” Do you

have the thought that if you haven’t managed your work, your emotions, or your relationships perfect-ly then you haven’t done well at all? Give yourself credit for challenges you are facing and the ways you are helping others, your patients, your family, and yourself to get through this difficult time.

• Avoid “emotional reasoning.” Sometimes we make the mistake of “buying” into our feelings 100% as if they represented the truth of a situation. Feelings are an important source of information, but they are not the ONLY source of information about how we are doing. Don’t make the leap of thinking that just because you feel nervous at times, then you MUST not be able to handle these challenges.

Balance your perspective: • There are enough challenging things going on in

the world right now that we can make the mistake of thinking that nothing good is happening. Alter-natively, sometimes it may feel like we don’t have a RIGHT to be happy at times, or to feel optimistic because of everything that is going on. It’s OK to have a mixture of positive and negative thoughts and emotions.

Except imperfections from yourself and others: • setting expectations too high will likely lead to

more frustration in unattainable results. This is a recipe for fragility.

• Try to recognize three positive things every day and write them down. Don’t set a bar on how big an impact something should make to be placed on your list. Did you make someone smile? Did you find yourself enjoying a conversation? Did you get to spend more time with your kids today in a way you otherwise might not have? These are excellent places to start.

Take care of yourself : • You’ve probably heard when starting a flight that in

the event of an emergency you need to put on your own oxygen mask before helping someone else with theirs. You can’t expect to help anyone else if you aren’t able to take care of yourself.

• Make sure you are eating a healthy diet. Avoid overuse of alcohol. Get enough sleep.

• Plan to do something everyday that brings you joy.

If you have any questions on these tip sheets, please email the Neuropsychology staff at Neuropsychology@rhin.com

Neuropsychology Department

Ask for help: • Most likely, you spend most of your time doing for

others. Why shouldn’t you occasionally need help too? When you feel spread thin, ask for someone to lend a hand.

Communicate: • Talk to people who are close to you about how you

are feeling. You don’t have to solve each other’s problems, but chances are you are feeling some of the same ways. When we don’t say what’s on our minds, our problems can seem like big, dark mon-sters in our heads. Research has shown that when we name our emotions, we have more control over them. Be open to receiving support from others.

Control what you can: • Set a routine for your family and kids, and expect

things won’t go perfectly.• Know you have control over your thoughts and

attitude.• Set limits at home and work for yourself. This, you

have control over.• Problem-solve challenges that come along. You got

skills!!! Brainstorm what you can do to help the situation, even if it doesn’t fix it.

• What else??

Maintain a sense of humor: • Remember, laughter is the best medicine.

Embrace change: • The more we willfully fight against change, the

more we will fall. Be flexible, be willing, be adap-tive, and be capable.

Remain optimistic: • This is a great way to remain balanced. Remember,

this is not an apocalypse. Now is not the time for catastrophic thinking.

Practice spirituality & faithfulness: • If this is something that is near and dear to you.

Allow yourself to be vulnerable: • Perhaps this is one of the most difficult things to do

for a human. Vulnerability means allowing yourself to be exposed. Humans often fear what happens if

others know they are exposed. We fear the worst and we fear that once exposed, we will not be able to ‘come back,’ or survive. But if we always wear protective armor that is too rigid, then we will nev-er be able to experience emotional growth, connec-tivity with others, or possibly even true happiness. Acknowledge when you feel anxious, sad, or fearful about something, and see what kind of compassion may come from those around you.

Be confident that you can manage challenges that come your way: • Remind yourself that you may experience distress,

fear, worry, or anxiety during this time. Remind yourself that things might be tough. Then remind yourself that even if it is, you can handle it. You got the skills!!! Skillfulness and resilience does not come from easy circumstances, it comes from your confidence to manage the challenge.

Connect with others: • Human companionship is more vital than ever!!!!!

See how spiritually rejuvenated you feel after con-necting with someone you care for.

Approach the opportunity• Struggles like these can be opportunities for

POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH. That doesn’t mean that the COVID-19 outbreak is a good thing. No one will be thankful that the outbreak occurred. This outbreak presents you with an opportunity to stretch yourself, to care for yourself and others in challenging circumstances. You may fail at times—no one is asking for perfection—but recognize that it is easy for anyone to be kind and caring when life is easy, it is harder to be a good you when life gets tough.

Take pride in whatever you do and see it as a noble calling. • If you are a health care worker, you are bravely

caring for those who need help in a very direct and tangible way.

• We need everyone’s help, though, to keep running. If your job is to clean or organize meals, recognize that in doing your job well, you are providing some predictability, structure, and normalcy to patients and staff who really need it.