The Community Benefit Connect Blog
Resilience
Resilience can be defined as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress. Becoming more resilient not only helps you get through difficult circumstances, it also empowers you to grow and even improve your life along the way (from the American Psychological Association, Building Your Resilience, https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience, accessed 1/4/21).
For over six years Community Benefit Connect has engaged with community benefit professionals. What do community benefit professionals care about?
- Helping community residents improve their health.
- Increasing access to quality care.
- Engaging a variety of stakeholders to increase understanding about the importance of community health.
- Accurately and appropriately reporting community benefit programs and activities.
- Creating partnerships to address health problems and improve our local communities.
- Making optimal use of limited resources.
- Focusing on the social determinants of health to address the underlying causes of poor health.
- Developing a sustainable approach to investing in community health.
What does resilience have to do with community benefit? Resiliency allows us to cope when we are facing uncertainty. Hospital community benefit efforts – our programs, activities, partnerships – provide a safety net for our communities. Hospitals are trusted places, safety zones and resources for information and healing. Community benefit professionals are community-facing advocates who deliver needed support and resources.
Community benefit programs can help people maximize resiliency during hardship. There are obvious connections with our community work and the seven skills of resilience listed below.
Seven Skills of Resilience
Principle 1: Cultivate a belief in your ability to cope.
Principle 2: Stay connected with sources of support.
Principle 3: Talk about what you’re going through.
Principle 4: Be helpful to others.
Principle 5: Activate positive emotion.
Principle 6: Cultivate an attitude of survivorship.
Principle 7: Seek meaning
(from King, K. (3/31/20). https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/lifespan-perspectives/202003/seven-skills-resilience, accessed 1/4/21.)
