Build your Resilience in the Workplace • • • • • • • • • • Get enough sleep, exercise, and learn to manage stress. When you take care of your mind and body, you are better able to cope effectively with challenges in your life. Practice thought awareness. Resilient people do not let negative thoughts derail their efforts. Instead, they consistently practice positive thinking. Also, “listen” to how you talk to yourself when something goes wrong – if you find yourself making statements that are permanent, pervasive or personalized, correct these thoughts in your mind. Practice Cognitive Restructuring to change the way you think about the negative situations and bad events. Learn from your mistakes and failures. Every mistake has the power to teach you something important. So, do not stop searching until you have found the lesson in every situation. Also, make sure that you understand the idea of “post-traumatic growth” – there can be real truth in saying that “If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger.” Choose your response. Remember, we all experience bad days and we all go through our share of crises. But we have a choice in how we respond. We can choose to react negatively or in a panic, or we can choose to remain calm and logical to find a solution. Your reaction is always up to you. Maintain perspective. Resilient people understand that, although situation or crisis may seem overwhelming in the moment, it may not make that much of an impact over the long-term. Try to avoid blowing events out of proportion. If you do not already, learn to set S.M.A.R.T., effective personal goals – it is incredibly important to set and achieve goals to match your values, and to learn from your experiences. Build your self-confidence. Remember, resilient people are confident that they are going to succeed eventually, despite the setbacks or stresses that they might be facing. This belief in themselves also enables them to take risks. When you develop confidence and a strong sense of self, you have the strength to keep moving forward, and to take the risks you need to get ahead. Develop strong relationships with your colleagues. People who have strong connections at work are more resistant to stress, and they are happier in their role. This also applies to your personal life: the more real friends you develop, the more resilient you are going to be, because you have a strong support network to fall back on. Remember that treating people with compassion and empathy is very important here. Focus on being flexible. Resilient people understand that things change, and that carefully-made plans may, occasionally, need to be amended or scrapped. Training Module on the Right to Mental Health for the Security Sector You can learn to develop a resilient mindset and attitude. To do so, incorporate the following into your daily life: The key is to identify ways that are likely to work well for you as part of your strategy for fostering resilience. 20