Boosting Resiliency in time of COVID-19

By Andrea Gray-Pincus, LCSW-R- Director of Behavioral Health Services

As Health Care Providers, the past year has challenged us in ways we may have not ever imagined. The psychological and physiological stressors of COVID have impacted us all and will continue to for the foreseeable future. As providers of health care we must meet the daily challenge of providing quality services to the clients we serve in spite of the world around us. The challenge is how do we keep providing quality services during a time with increased need without experiencing the dreaded “burn-out”?  The answer is by developing, nurturing and boosting our resilience.

Resilience is the ability to effectively cope with, recover from or adapt to challenging life situations. While we all have developed this skill on some level, during this particular time of COVID-19 it is paramount that we have a plan of self-care. “Check in” with yourself, assess your stress level, are there ways you can improve your overall quality of being? Develop an action plan to help mitigate the effects of stress and boost your resilience. The following can help:

1. Keep a positive outlook
2. Express gratitude
3. Increase contact with family and friends – quality over quantity
4. Laugh
5. Reflect – reflect on your past experiences, what got you through?
6. Develop small goals and take action!
7. Manage worries
8. Exercise

Take steps to implement a self-care plan and boost your resiliency. Small changes in your everyday life can lead to big benefits overall!