Telluride Med Center: Cultivating Resilience!

31 Jul Telluride Med Center: Cultivating Resilience!

These Covid-19 times are challenging for all of us, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need support. I can be reached by calling the Telluride Medical Center at 970-728-3848, or if you are a patient, you can also message me, Lindsay Wright, through the Med Center portal.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can also call The Center for Mental Health’s crisis line at 970.252.6220.

Please scroll down to listen to Lindsay’s podcast on resilience.

Lindsay Wright, LMFT, of the Telluride Medical Center talks about tools for coping with anger in the Age of Corona.

Resilience can be defined as a person’s ability to be able to bounce back from challenging times.

While large life stressors (such as the end of a relationship or a period of poor health) always require some adjustment, those with resilience are better able to function despite thencircumstances.

People with resilience still experience feelings of anxiety, distress, grief and sadness, but tend to be able to see beyond the moment and keep things in perspective.

People with resilience tend to be more adaptable, are able to identify that many stressful times are temporary, and so manage their stress.

While some people tend to be inherently more resilient, resilience is something that can be built by making shifts in our thoughts and behaviors.

So what can we do to improve our own resilience, and strengthen our ability to take on challenging times?

There are a number of things that can be helpful.

First, it is important to prioritize positive self-care; make sure you are well-fed and well rested, that you engage in positive coping skills (such as mindfulness practices), activities that bring you joy, and that you are getting outside and getting exercise.

Feel your feelings. Do not seek out substances as a means of numbing difficult emotions.

Maintain a network of supportive people who can help you to get through difficult times. They can include family members, friends, neighbors, healthcare providers, or members of a spiritual community.

When faced with problems, engage in problem-solving and goal setting, with a focus on what you can control, rather than ignoring the issues.

Identify what you have done in the past to get through difficult times successfully, and implement these strategies in response to current stressors.

Finally, work to create a mindset that nurtures hope for the future, and allows you to find meaning in your day-to-day life. Meaning can be found in many different ways, from creating your own individual daily rituals to volunteering to help others.

With those steps, we can help ourselves to be better equipped to navigate the here and now.

For more, listen to Lindsay Wright’s podcasts below:

In Spanish: