Are you and your family resilient?

  • Published
  • By Col. Jeffrey Snyder
  • 60th Diagnostics & Therapeutics Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The United States Air Force accomplishes amazing things every day and it is our great warriors who make it happen. No other nation's air force can compare with what we do in 24 hours.

Our airpower profession demands 100 percent of our energy, concentration and will to ensure the mission gets done on time with excellence. The high operations tempo -- either in-garrison or while deployed -- requires service and sacrifice from us and our families.

Sometimes, the stresses can be too much and begin to negatively impact us, our unit and our families. We can minimize the bad impact by preparing beforehand for the times of greater stress by developing resilience.

During a recent conference, Lt. Gen. (Dr.) C. Bruce Green, Air Force surgeon general defined resiliency as "a person's ability to cope with stress with minimal emotional symptoms or interpersonal problems while making sound decisions." But what is stress? Some stress can be motivating and therefore good. But more importantly, it's how we view the stressor.
Our response to a stressful event is influenced by our view of the situation, our ability to consider it in a positive way and our ability to place the situation in a good context.

Long-term stress that is not properly managed results in anxiety, exhaustion, burnout, inability to concentrate, procrastination, poor decision making or bursts of rage. Long-term stress [if not properly checked] will negatively impact our physical and mental health and our performance.

Resiliency is the ability to not let the negative stress build and, instead, bounce back or recover. Our resiliency can also be threatened by the following: overload or being overwhelmed, frustration, fatigue or physical illness.

Overload occurs when the demands on us exceed our resources either because we must make many decisions rapidly or the decisions are complex. A few tactics to overcome overload include prioritizing demands, assessing true time urgency versus artificial time urgency and getting help from others. We become frustrated when our goals are blocked and to overcome it we should consider alternate paths to the same or similar goals.

The major cause of fatigue is the lack of rest or sleep. Most of us, even young adults, need seven or eight hours of sleep every night to be effective. If you can't sleep, practicing a relaxation technique can build a resilient mind.

Regular physical exercise has many benefits including relieving stress and building resistance to illness and disease. Good nutrition makes us more resilient too.
Most importantly, our attitude is crucial to being resilient Airmen. Why? Because an optimistic attitude sets the right stage for managing our stressful situations, for making the right decision when it is harder, for eating well, for exercising regularly, and for getting enough rest.

Finally, resilient Airmen develop positive relationships with fellow Airmen and their families. Our key relationships provide the support, camaraderie and sense of community to weather the stresses of life. When we effectively manage our stress we're more resilient. Resilient airmen and their families will continue to fly, fight and win America's battles whenever called upon.