Resilience Just as Important in 2021

Just because the calendar has turned over to 2021 doesn't mean the general circumstances we're experiencing are different.

Behavioral Health Strike Team Co-lead Dr. Kira Mauseth said the start of vaccinations has bolstered resilience, and resilience remains critical in these next several months. According to Mauseth, the ingredients of resilience are hope, purpose, connection, flexibility and adaptability.

Hope has been largely on the rise as the world creeps toward a resolution of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose has been especially tricky for people in the last new months. Mauseth stated that with so many questioning their purpose, it's important to focus on the scope and size of their motivations and goals. This can include New Year's resolutions as well.

Seeming to tie into the subject of purpose is flexibility and adaptability. It's important to be able to adjust our expectations around performance and success when setting achievable goals. The most common mistake with setting goals is that they are too big. For example, instead of making a fitness goal of losing 30 pounds in six months, perhaps instead resolve to take a walk every day or devote more time to stretching or yoga.

With lockdown orders still in place across the globe, connection is perhaps the most important ingredient to resilience currently. Connection can be anything that keeps us from being isolated, such as pets, friends, family, or social causes and issues.

"These ingredients for resilience (hope, purpose, connection, and flexibility and adaptability) will serve us well even when this is over." explained Mauseth, "So practicing it now and developing these skills now is a key thing that will help us get through this disaster, but also later on in life as well."

For more information, go to the state coronavirus website.