SELF-CONFIDENCE IN THE MIDST OF CRISIS

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1 SELF-CONFIDENCE IN THE MIDST OF CRISIS TIFFINY HUGHES- TROUTMAN, PH.D. RESILIENCE ERG LUNCH AND LEARN

2 OVERVIEW Define resilience Discuss factors that affect self-confidence and resilience Explore the role of self-talk in building resilience Learn ways to increase resilience Developing resiliency in children and in our communities

3 WHAT IS RESILIENCE? Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems or workplace and financial stressors. Resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary. As an example is the response of many Americans to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and individuals' efforts to rebuild their lives. Being resilient does not mean that a person doesn't experience difficulty or distress. Resilience is involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned and developed in anyone.

4 FACTORS AFFECTING RESILIENCE AND CONFIDENCE Crisis or life stressors Experience Health Status Culture Developmental considerations Internal and external resources History of successes and failures Aging, illness, or trauma

5 FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO RESILIENCE AND CONFIDENCE Caring and supportive relationships within and outside the family The capacity to make realistic plans and take steps to carry them out A positive view of yourself and confidence in your strengths and abilities Skills in communication and problem solving The capacity to manage strong feelings and impulses

6 ROLE OF THOUGHTS IN BUILDING RESILIENCE Thoughts of gratitude, forgiveness, and emotional resilience can help us deal with our stressful thought patterns and create a sense of well being. Negative thoughts, beliefs and self talk can have a counter effect on our body, mind and spirit.

7 THOUGHT/MOOD IMPACT IN RESILIENCY Depression Views of oneself and one s situation that are often marked by cognitive distortions (e.g., overgeneralization, magnifying the negative and discounting the positive) Anxiety disorders Overestimating the odds of the negative event happening Overestimating the severity of the consequences Underestimating one s ability to cope

8 IDENTIFYING THOUGHTS How to identify the thoughts that influence your emotions and behavior The concept of automatic thoughts thoughts that occur spontaneously and automatically, without our conscious consent

9 IDENTIFYING THOUGHTS Identify a situation in which you were experiencing an emotion Name the emotion(s) Pose these questions: What was going through my mind just before I started to feel this way? What does this say about me? What does this mean about me? My life? My future? What am I afraid might happen?

10 EXPLORING ACCURACY AND USEFULNESS OF THOUGHTS Accuracy questions: What is the evidence that supports / contradicts this thought? Is there another explanation? Another way of looking at it? Am I overestimating (a) the probability of the negative event occurring, or (b) severity of the consequences of the event? What is the worst that could happen? What is most realistic? If a friend had this thought, what would I tell them? Usefulness questions: What are the (dis)advantages of telling myself this? What might be a more useful or helpful way of thinking? To the degree the belief is true, what should I do about it?

11 CHANGE YOUR PERCEPTION Negative thinking/self-talk Predict things will turn out badly Discounting the positives/maximizing negatives Rejecting positive experiences since they don t count Overgeneralization Overuse of the words always or never Overanalyzing Picking things into the smallest components Self-criticism/blame Being harsh with yourself even when unwarranted Rigid thinking/exaggerating Black/white thinking if it isn t perfect it s failure

12 MINIMIZING THE IMPACT OF STRESS/INCREASE RESILIENCE Reduce life stressors Change the way you think about stress Make connections Accept that change is part of living Move toward goals and make decisive actions Nurture a positive view of yourself Maintain a hopeful outlook and practice self-care Increase social support, even by one

13 BUILDING RESILIENCE IN CHILDREN AND IN OUR COMMUNITIES Building resilience can help children manage stress and feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. The resilience of an individual draws on resources from many systems families, schools, communities Quality of family and peer relationships, effective schools and neighborhoods and the qualities of faith and hope contribute to resilience Protective factors well-developed sense of efficacy, supportive relationships, personal qualities increase resilience

14 JOURNEY OF RESILIENCE Developing resilience is a personal journey. Live a purposeful life, persevere, and take life in stride. Maintain flexibility and balance in your life as you deal with stressful circumstances and traumatic events. The quality of family and peer relationships, effective schools and neighborhoods and the qualities of faith and hope contribute to resilience. Seek help from others when needed and expand your horizons!

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