Lesson One - Resilience and Coping
Building Resilience—Part A
The Bounce Back Project has identified five main pillars to building and maintaining resilience. All of these pillars work together and are not separate from each other. By working on these pillars, people are able to cope more efficiently with difficult times instead of getting caught in the downward spiral of despair. It can take some time and work to achieve and maintain these pillars, but it is all part of a lifelong journey toward positive mental health.
This is having a clear picture of who the individual is as a person. They need to be able to objectively acknowledge strengths, weaknesses, beliefs, motivations, and all emotions. It can be painful to admit when motivations or emotions are
not what were expected or what we were wanting to project to the world; however, being honest with oneself will help bring more self-awareness. An increased self-awareness helps us understand how we are viewed by others.
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Self-care is different for each person because everyone needs something tailored just for them. It is something that helps us take care of our mental health in our own unique way so that we can function in the world while still meeting challenges.
Self-care is something that changes with the person and needs to be engaged in often in order to maintain.
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Mindfulness is being able to focus solely on the present, not dwell on the past, or worry about the future. Focusing on the present also means acknowledging emotions in the moment and not judging them as positive or negative, just recognizing
that we are experiencing that emotion. The individual also acknowledges their thoughts in the present in the same way, without judgement. Mindfulness allows us to live in the moment instead of getting “stuck” either in the past or future.
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Positive relationships are also known as a social support network. This network is very important to positive mental health because we are built to be connected to others and this support network provides that connection. Having a support
network will also help us become more supportive ourselves. Social support networks help people enjoy healthier, happier, more connected and satisfied lives.
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Purpose, in relation to the five pillars, refers to the fact that there is something more than the individual. A person’s purpose helps to shape their mindset and guides their actions towards others. Finding purpose can be found in many
different places such as: family, religion, a particular political party, having a green initiative, or even being part of an organization like the Boy Scouts or Girl Guides.
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