Resilience: Ability to handle life’s adversities

Puerto Rico Associates, sponsored by our health insurance plan MCS, participated on an online webinar under the title, “Resilience and How to Adapt to Surprising Changes”. Resilience is the ability to cope with a crisis mentally or emotionally or to return to pre-crisis status quickly. It is a psychological state of mind were a person can control any surprising events, and overcome them, no matter how serious it is. Mrs. Karol Pérez Capena, Social Worker at Panamerican Hospital Clinic in Puerto Rico, taught us about the different types of reactions towards stress, and how to manage them to limit their effect on us. It is important to bear in mind that a low level of stress is needed to physically and mentally motivate us to reach our goals. On the other hand, you need to be aware on symptoms when that stress becomes acute, cumulative, or chronic to seek for external help with your condition.

Once we take care of stressors, we are also able to determine if we can manage our emotions and in which moment we will need to seek for professional help. It is okay to cry, to say no, and there could be times you do not feel okay.  It is important to adapt to changes to make its transition less stressful. We are exposed to lots of information and news. We need to find out when we have seen enough to answer our questions. Protect yourself from overexposure if you do not feel comfortable with.  Our new normal calls for changes, but once you embrace those changes and learn to cope with them, it is easier to continue our journey feeling mentally prepared and healthy.