Mary Markowski Scarborough High School

 The capacity to respond and recover when life hits you upside the head  Ability to handle stress and setbacks in life  There are 5 steps that each of us can learn to be resilient!  First, let’s see how resilient you already are!

1. If I have a disagreement with a close family or friend, it leaves me upset for hours. 2. If another drivers cuts me off in traffic, I can’t stop fuming about it. 3. If I make a mistake at school or work, I have trouble skaing it off. 4. If I was not accepted for a job I really wanted or I school I really wanted to get into, it would make me feel down about my whole future. 5. At a party, if I’m talking with a new person that I’m really interested in and then I get tongue-tied, I replay the moment over and over in my head for a days afterward.

 More than 3 “true”s:  You may have a hard time snapping back from setbacks….you could use some of these pointers on the next few slides  2 or less “true”s:  Nice work! You have excellent coping skills.

1. Choose to be a survivor 2. View setbacks and temporary 3. Think out of the “Oh-No!” box 4. Take care of Yourself 5. Don’t go it alone

 It’s easy to freak out but resilient people don’t let themselves  Avoid catastrophic thinking and avoid “negative self talk”  Be your own hero and remember that YOU control your life and can take action  TAKE the INITIATIVE for your life!  We can’t always control what happens to us, but we ALWAYS control our attitude and reactions

 The Most resilient people believe that they actions they take can and do affect change.  They do not take losses personally  They realize a setback can be a challenge and an opportunity  When things go wrong, look to people, books, past experiences, to help you take action  Remember that you have control over your emotions and things will get better

 An unexpected crisis causes most of us to freeze with fear but flexibility is a key characteristic of resilience  Train yourself to ask these questions:  What other things might have contributed to the problem?  If I shared this issue with my friend, what would s/he see as having caused it?  What parts of the problem can I directly control?  What solutions have I not tried?  These questions help you form “insight” to problems

 Physical health is necessary for resilience!  Eat well and exercise  Avoid mood changers like alcohol and marijuana  Practice relaxation breathing to calm yourself down during tough times

 The more you hide your problem, the more power it has over you  Reach out to those you love  Build your connections to different groups: school, family, work friends, neighbors, etc  Being interconnected gives us the strength to handle challenges by helping us develop a sense of belonging and purpose!

 Remember how strong you are to have gotten this far in life  Keep calm and “carry on”  Remember “this too, shall pass!”  Take care of yourself  Reach out to others  How can we keep ourselves resilient throughout our lives, especially when times get tough?  Personal reflection time 

 Think of a time that you have shown resilience in your life  Think of the 5 secrets of resilience 1. Choose to be a survivor 2. View setbacks and temporary 3. Think out of the “Oh-No!” box 4. Take care of Yourself 5. Don’t go it alone  Journal briefly about when in your life you have done some/all of these 5 things