Resilience Training (Red Phase)

Resilience Training(Red Phase)

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Terminal Learning ObjectiveACTION: Discuss resilience, teamwork, buddy aid, and our initial reactions to situations and events

CONDITIONS: In a classroom environment given an overview of initial reactions to include thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and physical reactions

STANDARDS: Discussing resilience, teamwork and the elements that comprise the way we all react to given situations and events will consist of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF) concepts and the principles contained in The Resilience Factor, 01 Jan 2003 and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Protocol #1543, 30 Jul 2009

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Resilience

Resilience is the ability to grow and thrive in the face of challenges and bounce back from adversity

Resilient Soldiers have the inner strength to face the realities of the environment with courage and confidence

– This means meeting the many mental challenges of training, operations, combat, and transitioning home

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Purpose of Training

Develop resilient Soldiers who…

– Function well under stress; sustain mental fitness in the face of high intensity situations

– “Bounce back” as required

– Take care of themselves, their buddies and those they lead

Purpose of Training

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I am an American Soldier.

I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.

I am an expert and I am a professional.

I stand ready to deploy, engage and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.


Soldier’s Creed


I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.

I am an expert and I am a professional.

I stand ready to deploy, engage and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.


Soldier’s Creed

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What is Stress?

How many of you like roller coasters?

How many of you find them stressful?

What do you think stress is? Is stress always bad?

What is Stress?

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Basic Combat Training Stress

Different situations will be stressful for different Soldiers

What are some of the methods you used back home to help you deal with stressful situations?

Basic Combat Training Stress

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Why is Teamwork Important?

Soldiers working together can achieve more than Soldiers working individually

When Soldiers work in teams, they can apply their different strengths to achieve the mission

Why is Teamwork Important?

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Applications of Teamwork

Physical tasks – helping each other complete training events like the confidence course

Mental tasks – helping each other adjust to the military environment; maintaining control over stress and achieving optimal performance

Applications of Teamwork

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Sometimes you will need to “carry” a team member...

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… and sometimes the team will “carry” you

It takes courage to ask for help when you need it

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How do I look after my buddies (& myself)?

In order to be able to look after your buddies (and yourself), you need to know what to look out for

Accept the reality that stress affects us all

Take the time to listen

You also need to know what to do to improve your (or your buddies’) resilience

How do I look after my buddies? (& myself)

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ActivatingEvent

Initial Reaction

Behavior

Behavior

Emotions

Emotions

Thoughts

Thoughts

PhysicalReactions

PhysicalReactions

Initial Reaction

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ActivatingEvent

Behavior Emotions

PhysicalReactions

Thoughts

Activating Event: imagine you have just performed poorly on your APFT...– What might your initial thoughts be?

– What might your initial emotions be?

– What might your initial behaviors be?

– What might your initial physical reactions be?

Initial ReactionInitial Reaction

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Initial Reactions

It’d be great if our initial reactions were the optimal reaction every time, but that’s not always the case

Why not? Well some reasons include…

– We are shaped by our past experiences

– We sometimes perceive the situation to be different from the reality

– We have a powerful brain that does not always work the way we would like

Initial Reactions

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Take a look at the picture - what do you see?

Research shows that young children can’t identify the intimate couple as they do not have prior memory associated with such a scenario

Children see nine dolphins

Distorted Perceptions

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Still can’t find the Dolphins?

Our perceptions are shaped by our life experiences

“Corrupted minds”


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Initial Reactions

Our underlying beliefs are like icebergs

Let's identify what some of those initial reactions might be

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Initial Reactions to Look Out For

Sleep related problems

Changes in appetite

Excessive drinking/smoking (not at BCT of course)

Increased aggression

More accident prone

Social withdrawal

Behavior Emotions

PhysicalReactions

Thoughts

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Fear or apprehension

Anxiety or tension

Hyper-alertness

Low frustration/ tolerance

Irritability/mood change

Anger

Low motivation

Depression

Behavior Emotions

PhysicalReactions

Thoughts


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Concentration difficulties

Poor problem solving

Memory difficulties

Negative self-talk

Irrational ideas

Catastrophic thinking

Thoughts of “escape” (AWOL, suicide/self-harm)

Behavior Emotions

PhysicalReactions

Thoughts

If someone tells you this, notify a Drill

Sergeant immediately


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Increased breathing rate

Increased heart rate

Dizziness

Shaking

Pains

Headaches

Nausea

Face goes pale/ashen

Thousand yard stare

Behavior Emotions

PhysicalReactions

Thoughts


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If you notice any of these reactions in yourself or someone else, you need to “check” the reaction

ActivatingEvent

Behavior Emotions

PhysicalReactions

Thoughts

Check You need to “check” the

reaction because some reactions may be counterproductive or even harmful

What Next?

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How to “Check”

If you notice a reaction in yourself or a buddy, “check” by asking:

1. Is the reaction normal or understandable given the situation (activating event)?

2. Is it interfering with performance?

3. Is it helping me (or my buddy) be a good Soldier?

If you are not sure of the answers to these questions, get a buddy to help you

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ActivatingEvent

Behavior Emotions

PhysicalReactions

Thoughts

OptimalReaction andPerformance

Check

If reaction is normal given the circumstances, helpful and doesn't hurt

performance

If not, then you need to “adjust”

Adjust

Check the Initial Reaction

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Adjusting Reactions

Resilience means adjusting reactions to achieve optimal performance and well-being

– You can practice doing this

– Your buddies can help you do this

– You've made it through stressful situations before

– You have a powerful brain

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The Power of Your Mind

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulatcly uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, manes it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you cna sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Azanmig hhu? Yaeh, and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

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How to “Adjust”

Step 1: Identify what parts of the situation or event can be changed then take action to change those parts

Take ActionControllable Parts

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How to “Adjust”

Step 2: For the parts that you can’t control, your initial reaction needs to be adjusted

Your reaction can be adjusted; now we'll talk about how to do that

Adjust Your Initial Reaction

Uncontrollable Parts

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How to “Adjust”

The initial reaction is made up of four elements, so strategies can be used to “adjust” the element(s) required

Behavior Emotions

PhysicalReactions

Thoughts

The elements interact with each other, so adjusting one element will often lead to improvements in the other elements

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“Adjust” Thoughts

Identify and accept realities

Change self-talk

Maintain a sense of humor

Restructure your thoughts

Identify thinking traps

Behavior Emotions

PhysicalReactions

Thoughts

Your thoughts may be the hardest reactions to identify, but changing your thoughts can often “drive the train”

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Accepting Reality

Accepting the reality of a situation will also help achieve optimal performance– Basic Combat

Training means being away from home

– What are some of the other realities of Basic Combat Training?

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The Realities of Basic Combat Training

You will not get much praise; however...

– No news is good news

You will have at least one area of weakness

You will make mistakes

Drill Sergeants will “advise” you of your mistakes

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Mistakes provide opportunities for you to become a better Soldier

BCT is hard, but thousandsof recruits complete the training every year

You are qualified to be here; we believe you can do it!

You're now part of something bigger and always will be

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There are many things you can’t control

– There is no point in worrying about them

– Don’t fight the Drill Sergeant!

Invest your time and energy in what you can control

Use your strengths - “Hunt the good stuff”

Stress and sleep difficulties are common during the first few weeks as your body is adjusting to significant change


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RSP Online Resilience Training Module

Comprehensive Soldier Fitness / Global Assessment Tool (GAT) Survey

Homework assignment is due next drill

Resilience Modules Homework Assignment

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Terminal Learning ObjectiveACTION: Discuss resilience, teamwork, buddy aid, and our initial reactions to situations and events

CONDITIONS: In a classroom environment given an overview of initial reactions to include thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and physical reactions

STANDARDS: Discussing resilience, teamwork and the elements that comprise the way we all react to given situations and events will consist of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF) concepts and the principles contained in The Resilience Factor, 01 Jan 2003 and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Protocol #1543, 30 Jul 2009

Resilience Training (Red Phase)

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