Dr Suzy Green & Associates

Happy New Year!  I hope you’ve had a wonderful Xmas and New Year’s break.  And for those of you who are lucky enough to still be on holidays, make the most of it!  A client of mine once wisely suggested that she only worked “dry cleaning hours” in January – in by 10am and out by 2pm!  Now that’s a goal!

Yes, goals!  Have you set yours yet?  If you haven’t today’s the day!  It can be as a simple as writing out a list of your top 5 priorities for 09 i.e. saving a deposit or paying off your credit cards!  For those of you “goal nerds”, like me, you can systematically work through each life domain i.e. relationships, career, health & fitness, fashion (yes you can set a goal here SB!) and set some goals in each domain.  In this month’s (February edition) of Women’s Health magazine (Pacific Magazines), I have written an article entitled “Audit Your Life” which provides an assessment for you to determine how satisfied you are right now with your life and whether you’re ready for action!  Don’t worry if you’re not, there are proven scientific psychological strategies that can help you move through the process of change that are also provided in the article.

As I noted last month, this year the e-news will be brought to you by the “Positive Psychology Institute” – although it may not occur until February or March – as there is so much to do in setting up a new business!

Special Note:  If there are any wealthy philanthropists out there, there is one beautiful island for sale in Vanuatu (www.erakor.vu).  I have just spent a week there – no TV's, no internet, not even a swimming pool - as you’re surrounded by the beautiful blue Erakor Lagoon in which to take a refreshing dip!  And only 3 hrs from Sydney! It would make a fabulous place to hold health & happiness retreats!  Now there’s another goal!  It’s also a beautiful place to take a holiday this year – so if you haven’t scheduled in your holidays and mini-breaks for 09 yet, today’s also the day to start planning in this regard!

Last month I continued my discussion on the concept of PsyCap or Psychological Capital (Luthans et al, 2007).  This month I’ll be completing the topic, with a focus on resilience.

Month 1 - 2009 – Building PsyCap:  Have You Got the “B” Factor?

Resilience – everyone seems to be talking about it lately!  In terms of scientific research, the construct of resilience has a long history.  However, like much of historical psychology, it focused on the “lack of resilience” and the associated outcomes rather than the benefits of developing it!

Resilience is known in psychology as a “multidimensional construct” – which simply speaking means – that there is no agreed upon definition and it is defined and measured in various ways.  One of the better definitions I have come across is by Ryff et al (1998) - being "an individual's capacity for maintenance, recovery or improvement in mental health following life's challenges”.  And while researchers disagree to some extent on the definition, most would agree that "resilient individuals" share similar skills and abilities including:  rapid response to danger; ability to distance oneself from intense feelings; ability to create supportive relationships in times of crises; decisive risk-taking i.e. making crucial decisions; cognitive restructuring of painful events; optimism and hope (taking a positive view of events that will happen in the future.

It’s what I would refer to as the "B Factor" i.e. the bounce-back-ability factor.  So when the going gets tough, the tough get going!  When life throws a curve ball at us, we’re able to respond flexibly and adapt to whatever comes our way - with our mental health intact!  This often involves being able to think "flexibly" so we don't "catastrophise" i.e. this is a disaster!  I'll never cope!  When we can see options and draw on our strengths, we are much better able to respond and adapt.

In reflecting on whether you’re a “resilient individual” or not, consider the following questions (adapted from Luthans et al, 2007):

1. When was the last time you were thrown a “life curve ball”?  This could have been some form of adversity, a conflict, a failure or even a positive event that was a little overwhelming e.g. a promotion.
2. What was the nature of the event/situation?  Was it sudden or expected?
3. What coping strategies did you employ and were they effective?
4. Do you think you “bounced back” well and have fully recovered?
5. What were the “gifts” from this experience? I.e. what would you do differently next time?

Luthans et al (2007) also suggest that you consider times when you have voluntarily pushed yourself out of your comfort zone.  This is “proactive resilience building”!  Ask yourself “When was the last time I:

1. Volunteered to do something new and challenging?
2. Travelled alone overseas.
3. Accepted someone else’s ideas over your own because it made sense?
4. Did something unusual, even it had some risk associated with it?

Life is a funny thing!  In my personal experience, if you don’t continue to push yourself out of your “comfort zones”, life will do it for you!  Make 09 the year you really challenge yourself!  You’ll never feel more alive than at these times!  And yes it can be scary however I often suggest to clients that the emotions of fear and excitement are almost identical so could it be that you’re just excited about doing something new?

This Month’s Action Plan –Building the “B” Factor

1. Revisit your values – see jan07 e-news.  Having clearly identified values can help us to steer our way through adversity.  Research supports the role of meaning-providing values and beliefs in maintaining resiliency through severe psychological and physical challenges.  For example, there is a strong positive relationship between religion and mental health and many of us turn to our “faith” when adversity strikes.
2. Be a High Hoper!  Yes the development of another key component of PsyCap is instrumental in developing resiliency.  High Hopers are able to find “plan B’s” when life doesn’t go the way they want!  They remain solution focused and are able to flexibly adapt their thinking and actions to find a way forward.
3. Accept support.  Often clients will say to me that they are “too proud” to tell anyone of the life difficulties they’re going through and even more proud to ask for help.  It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help!  It is sign of wisdom!!  It also provides others with an opportunity to help and there is a growing body of research on the benefits of being altruistic – so reframe this as a positive action for someone else!  Research has clearly shown that strong social support is one of the biggest buffers to mental illness when we’re going through adversity.
4. Learn to reframe.  This means viewing the situation/event as an opportunity for growth and development rather than as a “catastrophe”!  Yes, I know it’s hard to do at the time!  Even if you can find one “good thing” about what you’re going through, then you’re thinking differently will affect how you feel and then how you adapt to the situation/event!
5. Know your strengths.  If you haven’t done the VIA (www.authentichappiness.org) yet, make that another goal in 09.  Knowing what your “character strengths” are and being able to use them in a stressful and challenging life situation will allow you to bounce back a whole lot quicker than focusing on what you can’t do or what you should have done!

Next Month…Who am I?  Developing a greater sense of authenticity …….

“Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want…”
Dan Stanford