Eric Barker wrote a good article about resilience, very needed at this difficult for all time.

The summary from the article:

This is how to be resilient:

• Positive self-talk: When you talk to you make sure you are nice to you.
• Physical fitness: Stress your body a little bit every day and it will handle the big stresses to come that much better.
• Make it a game: Obstacles in life make us wanna quit. Meanwhile games drive us to keep playing until we win. So make life a game.
• Humor: If a laugh a day got Joe Asher through Ranger School, it’ll get you through quarantine.

And the last one was Embracing Meaning via community. Let’s start there. You might think people who survive disasters do it by putting themselves first…

I was 17 years old still when, from a nice Moscow home, I was recruited into a military academy in Riga. The first month we lived in tents. That was the bootcamp. Intense physical and mental training, several times a night the cadet corps are woken for the formation, you must get fully dressed and ready to run within 45 seconds. Anyone who delays the formation forces the entire corpse to undress, get back in bed, then repeat the formation until everyone gets into the formation within time. Then, endurance run. We moved into barracks after the bootcamp, but that training intensity continued for another 3 years, combined with engineering education. The last two years were easier, we were sort of let loose and lived in rooms for four guys instead of the barracks for 120 people.

That first year was dark as night. I was the youngest, most other guys went through regular army already and were in their early 20s. Still, many faltered, we had the first suicide within 6 months. In the army you are buried separately if you commit suicide, your parents won’t be told where. You become forgotten.

One thing I learned there: after the night always comes the day. To get through any tough period you must have a goal, first of all. You must know why you are suffering. If you have the goal in life you can overcome anything. Nothing will scare you.

Staying physically and mentally fit and balanced is the second requirement. You must train yourself to prepare to take an opportunity when it comes. It is important to understand that taking an opportunity is easy, holding to it is hard.

And last, always smile and be positive! Smile is contagious. People will follow you when you are positive. Do not allow yourself negative thoughts no matter what!

Stay safe and healthy!

AlanT

Read Eric’s article here.