Resilience Resources

Interview With Kelsey Roberts, MS

Kelsey Roberts is a Mental Skills Specialist at The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention and in is in the Sports Medicine Division of Boston Children's Hospital; in this interview she speaks on the importance of resilience, strategies for strengthening this in girls, her profession, and how learning these techniques help in the long term.

What is resilience?

Resilience can be described as the process of adapting well when facing challenges
There can be an aptitude for growth in a variety of aspects in one's life, and resilience is about overcoming one's own challenges while also using them for personal growth
Resilience does not mean that a person will not face challenges
Although one may naturally have more resilience than others, resilience involves actions, thoughts and behaviors that anyone has the ability to develop
Resilience takes time to build and is an ongoing process
Resilience can be grown on a physical and emotional level
Everyone experiences adversity and different challenges will affect every individual in different ways
Resilience can involve bouncing back from challenging experiences, but it also allows a hopeful opportunity for significant personal growth
Core components of resilience include wellness, connection, and healthy thinking
Resilience skills have the ability to empower improvement in one's life as a whole

What are strategies for building resilience?

Always remember you are never alone.

Day to day practices:

Make a room or space for yourself that is essentially a stress free zone so you can have a safe haven for yourself to be calm
Create your own routine that you will stick to and stand by
Express yourself in different ways to find what works effectively for you
- examples include art, talking to others, and journaling
Learn relaxation strategies
- examples include breathing, music, visualizing peaceful places
Try to limit the amount of news you take in because it often can contribute to significant of negativity
It has been demonstrated that when girls take part in residential summer camps it can help improve their self-efficacy and it can strengthen their approach to challenges
- Camps are particularly effective when they focus on intentional strategies for strengthening relationships, effective ways for girls to develop resilience skills and promoting positive development
- Camps can all be beneficial whether they involve experiential education, are traditional camps, or offer an adventure education

Building connections:

Strong and compassionate relationships can enable one to cope with hardships more easily
Prioritize your relationships - connecting with others who can empathize with you and support you can remind you that others are here for you
Finding the best people to be by your side by building connections with people who care about you is important
Find people that can validate you and support you with a sense of belonging
Try not to isolate yourself
One can research local groups to join
Get together with people to talk to others about what is going on even if they are older than you because they likely have been in your similar shoes before
- This could be hard to talk about on both ends but do not be afraid to share your opinion
Go easy on yourself and others around you because facing these challenges could make emotional shifts more extreme
Helping others to solve their problems could take your mind off of yours
Resilience can be fostered through relationships that are connected by mutual empathy and psychological growth/empowerment
Resilience is also built at a community and cultural level

Focus on your wellness:

Take care of your body by being active and focusing on sleep, hydration, and nutrition
One can practice and promote mindfulness such as yoga, journaling, creative pursuits or spiritual practices such as mediation or prayer (if applicable)
Physically, spiritually and mentally take care of yourself
Try to avoid negative coping mechanisms
Prioritize self-care by focusing on activities you genuinely enjoy and that are fulfilling
While practicing these wellness activities it is essential to stay away from harmful actions such as substance use

Strengthen your purpose:

Physically taking time and effort to help others such as volunteering can promote positive results leading to your own growth in resilience
Take steps during hard times to improve your life for the next challenge
- Acknowledge your emotions and take your own initiative to build motivation to break your challenges down into manageable steps and attack them so you can be prepared to address your hardships the next time
Identify your passions and values
Developing a growth mindset is crucial for future hardships
Strengthen and increase positive thoughts
Think with a realistic perspective by trying to identify your own areas of irrational thinking and break them down to give yourself a more realistic viewpoint on what is happening and work on what you have the ability to control; accept that progress will occur
Take part in activities that promote a sense of purpose and direction
Focus on and celebrate your strengths
Practice gratitude frequently

Goal Setting:

Girls with a clear purpose and sense of direction have higher chances of being resilient when facing adversity
Set realistic goals, search for opportunities to learn more about yourself and grow to gain more strength in yourself
Take small steps towards goals to take control
- Small accomplishments to overcome adversity are very important and add up to be powerful
Setting achievable goals can foster self-discovery and confidence

Try to keep an overall positive mindset:

This can be very difficult, but some strategies that could help include visualizing what you want, identifying small ways you can make yourself feel better, and using your past experiences to learn for the future
It is important to compartmentalize and focus on the aspects of your life you are able to control and impact
Put things in perspective by acknowledging how the struggles will pass eventually and while one faces challenging times they also will and have faced more positive times
Accept that progress will occur

Seek help when needed:

Resilient individuals are unafraid to seek help from others including friends, family, mentors, or licensed professionals
The road to resilience can be difficult and it is important to understand that it could be beneficial for one to get help from a licensed mental health professional if needed

Tips for parents/guardians of adolescent girls:

Stay connected with pre-teens and teens
- Having a strong and loving relationship with pre-teens and teens can have significant benefits for both individuals
Support their friendships
- Examples of this include in athletics or extracurriculars
Community activities can help foster strong relationships
Help them focus on reality and facts to keep things in perspective
Help them compartmentalize by remembering that one bad factor of their life does not categorize everything as bad
Help them develop problem solving skills
Help them calm down after feeling difficult emotions such as anger, fear, and anxiety by talking it through
- Provide them with strategies to move low moods to improved moods
Recognize that these feelings will not last forever
Participate together in activities that you both enjoy or to help you relax
Participate in kind actions for others
Spend time with supportive people
Participate in physical activity together
Serve as a role-model for the preteen/teen by presenting as positive and optimistic through expressing gratitude to others for their support, expecting that good things are positive, and recognizing that things can get better and they can cope
Supporting the preteen/teen's strengths by suggesting they take on a new responsibility or leadership role to help them feel confident and capable

Studies have shown...

During adolescence there are dramatic biological, phycological, emotional and social reorganization changes
- Emotional sensitivity may increase which has the ability to overwhelm regulatory resources which can lead girls to face emotional risk
- During this time rates of stress exposure and emotional disorders rise significantly
A girls' confidence drops 30% between ages 8-14
Adolescence is also a time of growth and flexibility that creates an opportunity for positive cognitive development
People who acquire growth mindsets are more likely to view negative emotions as a signal for effort which can lead to more proactive and positive efforts
- These efforts could include cognitive reappraisal and positive refocusing

What is neuroplasticity and how can it help?

Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to develop and adapt in the face of circumstances
This can include functional or structural changes allowing one's brain to change and grow new neural networks
This refers to nerve cells being able to change and develop
This process involves forming new neural pathways, eliminating or strengthening certain pathways in the face of new experiences, and developing to adapt to setbacks
This process can be influenced by injuries, exercise, sleep, experiences, and medical conditions
The benefits of this process are that it allows the ability to learn and enhance prior skills, recover from brain injuries, and boost brain fitness
This is an ongoing process that does have limitations, but it is a factor that allows one's brain to build resilience and mental training skills

Disclaimer: EmpowHer Resilience resources are intended to offer free and accessible supplemental tools to promote and strengthen resilience, but they are not a suitable replacement for clinical treatment or diagnostic assessment for mental health concerns. If indicated, you are encouraged to please contact your primary care provider or a licensed mental health practitioner for individualized medical and/or counseling support.