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Building Your Resilience

Resilience is the process of being able to adapt well and bounce back quickly in times of stress. Developing resilience can help you cope adaptively and bounce back after changes, challenges, setbacks, disappointments, and failures. Resilience can be learned and it involves developing thoughts, behaviours, and actions that allow you to prepare for, manage, recover from traumatic or stressful events.

The below steps provide touch points to consider in order to build your resilience.

Building Your Resilience

Diet

While we understand how dietary changes have impacted physical health, their effect on mental wellbeing is only now being realised. There in now extensive evidence that:

  • A diet high in processed, sugary foods can increase the risk of depression up to 60%.
  • People who eat a diet high in whole foods such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, legumes, fish and unsaturated fats (like Olive Oil) are up to 35% less likely to develop depression than people who eat fewer of these foods. (cited in Beyond Blue 2019)

Exercise 

 There are many ways that exercise can positively influence your mental health:
  • Promotes the release of feel-good chemicals in your brain, like endorphins and serotonin.
  • It helps you sleep better so you rest fully at night and feel more energised during the day.
  • Gives you a sense of accomplishment as your fitness improves and you start achieving your goals.
  • Exercise is usually a shared activity with others so you get the added benefits of social connection. (Beyond Blue 2019)
Exercise

Sleep Hygiene 

  • Write a to-do list of tasks.
  • Get as much quality sleep as you can.
  • Have a warm bath/hot shower 30 minutes before going to bed.
  • Eat a light meal of complex carbohydrates; avoid protein, fat or spices.
  • Establish a good "sleep routine" i.e. going to bed and getting up at the same time each day.
  • Ensure sleep isn't disturbed by others i.e. turn off phones, use ear plugs.
  • Keep your room quite, dark and cool & comfortable.
  • Tea & coffee can help stay alert; avoid caffeine within 3-4 hrs before bed.
  • Breathe deeply (a few deep breaths every 10 mins - increases oxygen) 
  • Power nap (no more then 15-20 mins); longer causes inertia.
  • Use your bed for sleep, avoid sleeping in uncomfortable places like the lounge.

Sleep & Shift Work 

Some tips that will assist you during shift work include:

  • Use bright light to help you stay alert.
  • Keep mentally and physically active.
  • Ensure your work environment is cool & dry.
  • Minimise exposure to light after night shift.

Social Connection

It is helpful to:
Social Connections
  • Invest time and energy into maintaining positive relationships. 
  • Reach out and ask for support when you need to.
  • Get involved in community events such as volunteering. 
  • Spend less time in front of the computer or television and more time connecting with others.

Managing Your Response
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Queensland Government