What a year these past 525,600 minutes have been for us, our communities, for 98ɫ���� and for our country. We have lost more than one person a minute due to the pandemic, we’ve experienced difficult social and political times throughout, and we’re still waiting for the country to recover.

One thing that’s brought us to this present moment is our individual capacity to recover from tough situations — our resilience. Resilience is the ability to spring back from difficult times or events. Without resilience, a person or team will stop working toward their hopes and dreams.

There are many tools to measure resilience in children and adults, and it helps to understand what makes us resilient. Some of the components include optimism, determination, perseverance, faith and spiritual practices, social support, a sense of humor, having a purpose, and having role models. Individuals with these types of “protective factors” tend to score higher in their resilience measures.

Resilience can also grow and strengthen through our experiences. One way is to look back on the difficult times you have had in the past and reflect on the factors that got you through it. Identifying these factors and resources can help us develop a personal resilience plan for the future. We can explore our unique protective factors and make choices in these areas that can strengthen and prepare us for the inevitable challenges that all of us will have at some point in our future.

Working within the RCCS, staff at programs engage clients and members in recovery conversations that help reveal their resilience and the factors that helped them bounce back from past difficult times. Staff partner with clients and members in developing protective factors that will support them in their future when difficult times come again, as resilience is defined as maintaining high levels of positive feelings despite being faced with significant adversity.

Use the practice below to help establish and maintain the positive factors in your resilience:

Using the “My Story” RCCS Conversation tool example below, and think back over this past year.

• Starting in January 2021, draw your timeline and include the good times and events that occurred as well as the difficult times and events that occurred.

• Most importantly, focus on your comebacks and answer the following:

  • What were the times/events this past year that made you stronger? When and how?

  • What protective factors helped you come back?

  • Who or what helped you?

  • What didn’t help?

• Thinking about challenging times ahead, what protective factors might you consider to help you bounce back again?