Building resilience in difficult times

We were busy and under pressure before but this shift is huge. We need to protect ourselves not only physically but mentally too.

So what is resilience, and how do we achieve it?

Resilience means knowing how to cope in spite of setbacks, or barriers, or limited resources. Resilience is a measure of how much you want something and how much you are willing, and able, to overcome obstacles to get it. It has to do with your emotional strength. Also the capacity to recover quickly from difficult and tough situations.

There are three different types of resilience:

• Natural resilience – this is the resilience you are born with and the resilience that comes naturally. This is your human nature and your life force.
• Adaptive resilience - this could also be called ‘trial by fire’. This occurs when challenging circumstances force you to learn to change and adapt, and you grow stronger as a result.
• Restored resilience – this is also known as learnt resilience. This is where you learn techniques to build resilience. Doing this can help you deal with past, present and future traumas in a healthier fashion.

When resilience is low you may feel depressed, victimised, demoralised, hopeless, disconnected, tired, fatigued or stressed out and you might find it difficult to continue. So it’s important that we try to protect and reinforce our resilience.

Ways you can improve or strengthen resilience are:

1. Find a sense of purpose in your life – identify what matters to you and why you matter. This might be your work, your family, your friends, or something else.
2. Build positive beliefs in your abilities – think about why you make a difference. How you have a positive impact.
3. Develop a strong social network – tough at the moment, but use social media and the phone to connect with those who matter to you.
4. Embrace change – change brings opportunity, try to embrace it rather than fear it.
5. Be optimistic – I appreciate this is not easy in the current climate but we can try. Think of ways that your world might improve.
6. Nurture yourself – do things that make you feel good. Take time for yourself.
7. Develop your problem solving skills – try to be solution focused.
8. Establish goals – make them achievable but have something to strive for.
9. Take action to solve problems – don’t just find the solution, do it!
10. Keep working on your skills – every day is a school day.

We’ve heard the phrase a hundred times in recent weeks but these really are unprecedented times and where ever you work the pressure will be greater than ever, but we are also experiencing fear. We are unsure about what is happening and we have little experience of similar situations to guide us on the best ways to deal with it. I can only suggest that we all ensure we are aware of our local policies and procedures around COVID-19, take the time to read them and, in particular, check the nationally agreed PPE guidance. If you have any concerns, you must raise them with your employer. Keep up to date with the RCN guidance as it is published too.

Look after your health - physically and mentally - because you matter.

 "Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will" - Mahatma Gandhi.

Council update

In addition to weekly conference calls RCN Council are in touch several times daily via WhatsApp considering issues facing the country and in particular our members. 

Many of you will have seen Dame Donna Kinnair, our Chief Executive and General Secretary, speaking on the BBC Question Time on 2 April and on other news programmes. Susan Masters, our former Regional Director here in the South West and now the RCN’s Director of Nursing, Policy and Practice, appeared on BBC Breakfast news on 4 April and on several national radio programmes. Also Mike Adams, Director of RCN England, has been on various news channels. The RCN is being the voice of members at this time, in the media and, importantly, lobbying government.

The key issues continue to be PPE and testing. The RCN is working hard, challenging shortages and working with the Government and the NHS to ensure clear guidance is available. Issues relating to COVID-19 change not just daily but several times a day, so please keep reading your RCN website for updates. NHS and care staff testing is an issue of concern and we are lobbying for this to be increased further. Additionally we are also concerned about the psychological impact of this pandemic will have on our members, now and in the future, and are discussing ways to look into this and support our members. We are also acutely aware of the impact COVID-19 has on our nursing students, which we are monitoring closely as those who have moved into the workplace early start work in trusts. We are mindful of the support needs of those working in the community and private sector as well as the acute sector.

Sadly we are hearing of nurses and health care workers dying with COVID-19. The sadness weighs heavily on all our minds and our hearts go out to their families at this time. 

In my trust we are not yet seeing the numbers of COVID-19 patients that were predicted but equally we need to be prepared for an escalation and that is what we are focusing on. We have been training nurses for critical care, upskilling specialist nurses for the acute setting and ensuring a workforce ready to meet the predicted demand. Moving staff to unfamiliar surroundings can be stressful and they need support and training to do so. Everything is very fluid at the moment; however we must ensure the health and safety of our members and staff as well as that of our patients.

If you are concerned about practice please contact the RCN through RCN Direct on 0345 772 6100 or via the Get Help section of our website. 

I want to finish by paying tribute to our communities for the support they are showing us and to other key workers who are keeping our country functioning. To everyone who is staying home so we can do what we need to I thank you.

We are experiencing a tough time friends and colleagues, but we will get through this and come out the other side. 

Please take care of yourself and care for each other during this time.