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Building Resilience: Practical Strategies for Psychological Health Providers

Ediza Garcia, Psy.D.Texas A&M International University

Objectives

• Explain resilience and support its connection to thriving as a psychological health provider.

• Summarize the scientific evidence of resilience.

• Describe therapeutic applications of resilience-based strategies.

• Evaluate personal resilience and select strategies to implement a resilience-based practice.

Defining Resilience

The capacity to bend without breaking, to return to an

original shape or condition

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Models of Resilience

• Compensatory: resilience neutralizes exposures to risk

• Challenge: risk factors can enhance a person’s adaptation

• Protective factor: interaction between protection and risk factors

O’Leary 1998

Factors1.Optimism2.Facing Fear3.Moral Compass4.Drawing on Faith5.Social Support6.Role Models7.Physical Training8.Cognitive and

Emotional Flexibility9.Brain Fitness10.Meaning, Purpose,

and Growth

Genetics and Resilience

• Genes and environment contribute to resilience with ~equivalent magnitude (2014 VCU study)

• Certain doses of stress increase resilience– exposure to manageable stressors during

development is associated with more adaptive coping with stress during adulthood

Southwick & Charney (2018)

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“Neuroplasticity is better than mind over matter. It’s mind turning into matter as your thoughts create neuronal growth”

- Deepak Chopra, MD and

Rudolph Tanzi, Ph.D.

How Resilient Are We?

Lifestyle Statistics: Adult Exercise

• Recommendation– 2.5 hours/week

moderate-intensity aerobic exercise OR

– 1.25/week vigorous-intensity activity AND

– 2/week muscle-strengthening activity

• Only 20%Americans get recommended amount– 40% Americans

engage in no regular exercise

– 60 % Americans engage in moderate


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Lifestyle Statistics: Child Exercise

2014 US Report Card on Physical

Activity for Children and Youth


Lifestyle Statistics: Obesity

• > 1/3 Americans are obese (BMI 30+)

• 1/3 overweight (BMI 25-29.9)

• 17% children and adolescents obese


• Recommended:– 2 y/o and older = 1-2

hours/day total

• 2010:– 7.5 hours/days


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Bouncing Back Is A Choice

• Resilience is common and can be enhanced through learning and training

• When stress is managed, it tends to be necessary for health and growth

• Lack of access to support and resources, can make the road more difficult to travel (e.g., loss spiral) be more patient


Brain Fitness

Power of the Brain

• Mental Sharpness: Focus, Process, Recall, Problem Solving, Learning, Wisdom, & Emotional Regulation

• Power of memory

• Physical, Mental, and Emotional Conditioning: Think Clearly, Handle Emotional Stress Confidence, Self-esteem, Mental Toughness


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Sleep Loss

• Impairs prefrontal cortex’s capacity to regulate emotions emotionally irrational behavior and overreaction to negative events

• Less capacity to assimilate and analyze new information

• Mood shifts

• Loss of sense of humor

• Anxiety

• Loss of coping skills

• Reduced ability to concentrate, handle complex tasks, and to think logically and critically


Place your screenshot here


Feel the emotion, but don’t become the emotion

Change “I am [feeling word]” to

“I feel [feeling word]”

Change “I am [feeling word]” to

“I feel [feeling word]”

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

• Mental and emotional training

• Teaches people to recognize their typical explanatory style, test it against reality, and decide whether it is dysfunctional

• Reappraise your understanding and explanation of situations

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The Myth of Multitasking

• The human brain can only focus on one thing at a time.

• When you switch your attention back and forth, it takes, on average, 50% longer to accomplish the task.

Aguilar (2018)

Mind Games

• mnemonic strategies

• reasoning training,

• speed of processing training

Place your screenshot here

• Developed by Lawrence C. Katz & Manning Rubin

• Make use of five physical sense and emotional senses

• Build and maintain brain fitness

• Activate underused nerve pathways and connections

• Developed by Lawrence C. Katz & Manning Rubin

• Make use of five physical sense and emotional senses

• Build and maintain brain fitness

• Activate underused nerve pathways and connections

Neurobics

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Mental Training

• Discipline

• Precision

• Realistic


Flexibility

flexꞏiꞏble /’fleksәb(ә)l/adjective

•(of a person) ready and able to change so as to adapt to different circumstances.

www.dictionary.com

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Cognitive flexibilityThe ability to adapt

behaviors in response to changes in the

environment

Practice Flexible Thinking

1. Point out other ways of seeing things

2. Practice brainstorming

3. Think of flexible thinking as a skill

4. Think out loud

Acceptance Involves:Acknowledge

situationCan/cannot be

changedAbandoning goals

that are no longer feasible

Intentional redirecting efforts towards what can be changed


Even if the situation is frightening or painful

Keep our “eyes open” & acknowledge potential roadblocks

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The Science of Acceptance

• Key ingredient in the ability to tolerate highly stressful situations

• Linked to better psychological/physical health


• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: GOAL-->To increase psychological flexibility, or ability to enter the present moment more fully and either change or persist in behavior when doing so serves valued ends


1st: awareness of the present moment

2nd: an attitude of an objective, non-reactive lens, to view the present moment, to see the moment for what it is without judgment

Monitor and Acceptance

▹ Require us to find alternative positive meaning for neutral or negative events, situations, and/or beliefs

▹ “Strens”- (Finkel) life events that were health-promoting or growth-enhancing

▹ Posttraumatic Growth-positive change experienced as a result of the struggle with a major life crisis or a

traumatic event.

Positive Reappraisal


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The Science of Cognitive Reappraisal

• Ochsner and colleagues (2009)

• Reappraising the meaning of a stressful event as less negative or more positive changes emotional reactions to the event and results in more adaptive & resilient response

Reappraisal


• Fully describe the stressful situation. • How could the situation be worse? • How could the situation be better? • Create a story about the worse version. • Create a story about a better version. • What can you do to create the better version

and decrease likelihood of the worse version? • Place the situation into perspective.

Gratitude: Count Your Blessings

• Journaling

– Gratitude interventions show increase in well-being, physical health, positive affect, and less worry

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Humor and the Brain


Optimism

• Ignites resilience • Facilitates an active and

creative approach to coping with challenging situations

• Future-oriented attitude • Confidence that things

will turn out well

Two Styles

Dispositional (trait)

Fills the person’s view of life and is generally stable from one situation to another

Situational

A person feels hopeful and believes in a favorable outcome in one situation but not in another

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Realistic Optimism

• Pay close attention to the negative information that is relevant to the problems they face

• Disengage rapidly from the problems that appear unsolvable

• Cut their losses and turn attention to solvable problems

If I am happy in spite of my deprivations, if my happiness is so

deep that it is a faith, so thoughtful it becomes a philosophy of life, if, in

short, I am an optimist, my testimony to the creed of optimism is worth hearing.

-Helen Keller

Broaden-and-Build Model of Positive Emotions

• Positive Emotions + Broadening of Attention and Behavior more creative, inclusive, flexible, and integrated thinking

• Solve problems actively

• Increases interest in socializing and leisurely activities

• Ability to cope with stress

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Three Coping Mechanisms

Positive Reappraisal

Approach hardship as a challenge and find opportunity embedded in adversity.

Look for a silver lining.

Goal—directed

Gather information, acquire skills, plan, set goals, make decisions, resolve conflicts, and seek social support.

Meaning

Belief that life has meaning.

See the big picture.

View daily experiences within a larger framework of meaning.

Four Ways to Become More Optimistic

1. Focus attention on the positive things around us.

2. Intentionally think positive thoughts and do not dwell on negative thoughts.

3. Reframe the negative and interpret events in a more positive light.

4. Behave and take action in ways that build positive feelings.

• Choosing two factors that align

with your personal values, fit well with your

lifestyle, and seem doable

Southwick & Charmey (2018)

We Can Begin By….

• Consistent practice and patience

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The Willpower Instinct

• "I will" power challenge: Something that you would like to do more of.

• "I won't" power challenge: What is the "stickiest" habit in your life? What would you like to give up or do less of?

• "I want” power challenge: What is the most important long term goal you'd like to focus on? "


Signature Strengths

• Howard Gardner suggests that we all have areas of strength on which we can build.

• Flow- when we engage in an activity that calls on our strengths


Resilience In Our Modern World


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RESILIENCE: IT’S YOUR

RESPONSIBILITY

[email protected]

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