Committing to Resilience in Tough Times

Abstract

The past two-plus years have been a toxic stew of unprecedented events. We are living a century's worth of historic events in real-time: a shared experience of complex trauma, a global pandemic, worldwide demonstrations, civil unrest with a push for social justice and reform, and, as I write this, Russian aggression in Ukraine that leaves the world teetering on the edge of global conflict. If ever there was a time for resilience, it is now! But I am not talking about the "pull yourself up by the bootstraps," "slap a smile on your face" kind of resilience… it is not that easy. Resilience is not just optimism or a sunny disposition. It does not keep you from experiencing difficulties or distress. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines resilience as an individual's ability to cope with adversity and adapt to challenges or change. 1 It is the ability to adapt to trauma, tragedy, and stress.At the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, we take resilience seriously. It touches everything we do. We believe that individuals, organizations, communities, and systems can take specific actions to ease the burden of traumas from the past and minimize re-traumatization in the present and the future. It is not enough to just be a trauma-informed organization; we need to be resilienceoriented at the individual, organizational, and community/system levels.We embrace the belief that an individual's health is impacted by the events in their lives, and that healing and recovery are possible. And that is a concept we need to take to heart as we continue to reel from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its unanticipated longevity on the mental health and substance use treatment workforce. During the COVID-19 pandemic, about four in 10 adults in the USA reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, compared to one in 10 adults who reported these symptoms between January and June 2019. 2 At the same time, the toll of intergenerational, or historical trauma, is becoming more evident in our world, in our clients, and in our workplace. Emotional and psychological wounding over the lifespan and across generations, emanating from massive group trauma experiences, is cumulative and leads to microaggressions and everyday experiences of discrimination, racism, and daily hassles targeted at individuals from diverse racial and ethnic groups. Health disparities, substance abuse, and mental illness are all commonly linked to experiences of historical trauma. 3