Children and Youth
Adults who interact with children and youth play an important role in modeling and supporting resilience.
The following essential building blocks of resilience, known as the 7C's, were developed by Dr. Ken Ginsburg MD, MS.Ed, pediatrician and adolescent specialist and author of Building Resilience in Children and Teens.
The 7C’s include:
1) Character — have and hold onto a sense of morality
2) Competence — improve yourself; learn something new
3) Connections— strengthen connections with family, friends, and community
4) Confidence — have realistic expectations and praise honestly
5) Contribution — make a difference for others in your family or community
6) Coping — develop a positive outlook for all things big and small
7) Control — own and control decisions, for better outcomes.
See Dr. Ginsburg’s site Fostering Resilience for a deeper understanding of these traits, and some tips on how to foster them in children and youth.
Youth and Adults
We all experience stressful times and struggles in life. Being resilient is largely about recognizing when you are struggling and practicing healthy coping strategies. For most adults, this is very individualized.
You can prepare for and combat life’s difficult times by making healthy strategies part of your normal routine.
This includes:
- Taking care of yourself.
- Eat healthy, well-balanced meals
- Exercise on a regular basis
- Get plenty of sleep
- Give yourself a break if you feel stressed out
- Talking to others. Sharing your problems and how you are feeling and coping with a parent, friend, counselor, doctor, or pastor.
- Giving yourself an artistic outlet, be it drawing, writing, singing, or playing an instrument. Or connecting with others doing the same, by joining a writing, choir, band or theater group.
- Practicing mindfulness, visit https://mindfulnessnorthwest.com for free online videos, tips to get started in your own home practice, and classes on the eastside.
- Taking a break from what’s causing the stress. If news events are causing your stress, take a break from listening or watching the news.
- Avoiding drugs and alcohol. These may seem to help with the stress. But in the long run, they create additional problems and increase the stress you are already feeling.
Visit: https://www.verywellmind.com/forty-healthy-coping-skills-4586742 for a list of 40 healthy coping strategies.
- Volunteer, to get your mind off yourself and feel good about helping others.