Rebecca Lynne Farmer

Home About Us Contact Us       Military.com Find Us on Social News Military Life Your Family Community Education & Jobs Deployment PCS Transition Gold Star Life POPULAR STORIES SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 | WHEN IT COMES TO DIRECT SALES, MY FRIENDSHIP IS SEARCH … MILITARY LIFE Top 10 Myths About Army Resilience Training Twitter Email Tumblr Facebook Print More POSTED BY: GUEST BLOGGERS SPOUSEBUZZ ON FACEBOOK FEBRUARY 22, 2014 I use the skills I learned during Army resilience training Every. Single. Day. No, really, I do. And I’m not just saying that because I work for the Army’s program that provides resilience training Army- wide. I’m also an Army Veteran and Army Spouse. Back in 2009, when the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness (CSF2) program began (the Army program that offers resilience training), I was a company commander at Fort Campbell, and I had no clue the program even existed. I’m now a new Army Spouse and am fortunate to work for CSF2. As part of my job, I participated in a resilience training course offered at Ft. Belvoir in December 2011, and I can honestly say that this is the rst Army training I’ve taken that I apply to my life each and every day. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Good for her! But, since this is her job, of course she has the time to attend resilience training.” Or, “It’s her job to buy-in to this mushy stuff of ‘resilience’, but what’s in it for me?” SpouseBuzz 26,648 likes Liked You and 8 other friends like this SpouseBuzz 19 hours ago "We once had a year where my husband was gone for nearly nine months, spread out over a few weeks here, a few weeks there. Getting into routine was nearly impossible." Trust me, we’ve heard it all from Soldiers and Spouses alike. But after they take the course, these people who didn’t want to attend now understand how important these skills are to them. They start implementing immediately. So may I present to you: Top 10 Misconceptions about Resilience Training: Resilience Training is touchy-feely. Army Resilience Training is about logic and reasoning, rather than “hugging it out.” The skills make us take a critical look at our thought processes, and help us understand how our thoughts impact our emotions and reactions. Resilience can’t be taught – you either have it or you don’t. Resilience is a process, not a destination. While everyone already has a certain level of resilience, research proves that the skills taught by CSF2 actually increase resilience, regardless of how much you had to begin with. Resilience Training is only for young people who haven’t faced life’s challenges yet. Army Resilience Training is certainly great for people who may not have faced adversity, because it equips them to better cope when they ultimately do face challenges. However, when adversity strikes, whether you’re a Specialist, a Spouse or a Sergeant Major, arming SPOUSEBUZZ ON PINTEREST yourself with a greater level of resilience will enable you to bounce back more effectively. SpouseBuzz Resilience Training is only for weak-minded people. Army Resilience Training is for everybody. Think of Resilience Training as preventive maintenance for your mind. Much like you periodically service your car to keep it running and more capable to handle what lies ahead on the road, Resilience Training is intended to keep your mind agile and capable handling what lies ahead in life. Resilience Training isn’t based on hard science. The curriculum CSF2 uses is based on over 30 years of research in the area of positive psychology, including work conducted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Resiliency Project. The results showed that this training prevents symptoms of depression and anxiety, increases optimism, and enhances well-being and physical health. It also had long-lasting effects after the training. What’s exciting is that research shows that you don’t need a PhD to deliver the training and achieve the same effectiveness. The U.S. Army tailored this curriculum, and has been using it to train Soldiers, Family members and Army Civilians since 2009. Resilience Training is geared only toward Soldiers– there’s nothing in it for me. I hear ya. This training is mandatory for Soldiers, and is often delivered with them in mind. Spouses are part of the Army Family, too. Learning how to better communicate with others, nding and sharing the good things that happen to you, and knowing the process to effectively solve a problem are skills we can all utilize and bene t from- regardless if you’re a Soldier or a Spouse Resilience Training takes too long; I don’t have time for it. Every installation tackles Resilience Training a little differently, but the Army recognizes the time constraints faced by Family members. What’s great about Resilience Training is that it doesn’t have to be taught all at once; the skills stand on their own. Sometimes training is offered in blocks of time – like a onehour block or a three-hour block of instruction – and sometimes there are training marathons for a few days at a time. I recommend reaching out to your Family Readiness Follow On Group or local Army Community Service to learn about classes near you. You can also check out CSF2’s new online self-development platform, ArmyFit™, at http://csf2.army.mil/army t.html. Here, Soldiers, Family members, and Army Civilians can access tools and resources that will help them improve their physical and psychological strength in the areas of social, emotional, spiritual, family and physical tness. Resilience skills are complicated– I can’t use them in my everyday life. Resilience skills take practice, but once you learn them, putting the skills into action becomes second nature. For instance, each night before we go to bed, my husband and I share three good things that happened that day. Because people tend to dwell on the negative things in our lives, taking time to remember the good helps build optimism. It’s called “Hunt the Good Stuff”, and it only takes a few minutes. Being resilient is about thinking positive, and that everything will be ne. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, because life isn’t always easy. Resilience skills help you look at situations logically, dissecting between facts, thoughts, and consequences. By understanding all these facets, you’re able to better deal with things life throws at you. Resilience training is only needed if you expect bad things to happen to you. We talk a lot about a resilience helping you ‘bounce back’ from adversity, but resilience also enables you to deal with the daily hassles of life, too. From traf c jams to workplace con icts, to squabbles with my husband, resilience skills help me daily. Want to see what other Army Spouses had to say? Check out some of their testimonials on the CSF2 YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/ArmyCSF2.For more information on CSF2, please visit our web site and chat with us on Facebook or Twitter @ArmyCSF2 Becky Farmer has been an Army Spouse for two months and has been working for Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness for over a year (contractor). She spent nearly ten years on active duty as an Army of cer, with three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. She is also a certi ed Master Resilience Trainer. Her family is currently stationed at Fort Carson, CO. Twitter Tumblr Email Facebook Print More  Previous post Next post  ABOUT THE AUTHOR Guest Bloggers SpouseBuzz is proud to present a variety of outstanding guest bloggers from time to time. We hope you nd the topics they bring to our community engaging and thoughtful. Ads Blended Retirement System Make Sense of the Upcoming Changes. USAA is Here to Help.Learn More www.usaa.com Public Speaking Skills Learn The Secrets To Confident & Effective Public Speaking. Download Free Guide! dalecarnegie.com/Free-eBook Kate Middleton Has A Secret Kate Middleton & Prince William Have Been Keeping This Secret For Years beshimmer.com × Comments for this thread are now closed. 10 Comments www.spousebuzz.com 1  Login ⤤ Share  Recommend @mraishere • 4 years ago Sort by Newest − ⚑ Great article! While i'm not a member of the U.S Army, is there a way I can take a look at the GAT content? △ ▽ • Share › Maureen • 4 years ago − ⚑ Great article that gets to the heart of what the CSF2 Program is all about. Thank you for clearing up the misconceptions and spreading the word about how we can all improve! △ ▽ • Share › Karen Anderson • 4 years ago − ⚑ I attended resilience training at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas in 2012. I loved the training and I do apply the coping skills to every day situations. Thank you. △ ▽ • Share › Comments continue after advertisement Best Defense Against Attacker Is NOT Pepper Spray Safety experts say this tiny device (not pepper spray) is the most effective way to protect yourself against an attacker. Learn More Sponsored by Safesound Personal Alarm Shawn • 4 years ago − Report ad ⚑ While I'm sure there are area's in life that it can be used and for good. The mere thought that people can find something good out of having to take a life or see friends and battle buddies blown up is inconceivable. No amount of resilience training can prepare you for that or make it so you don't get Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Which is a very real thing. △ ▽ • Share › Josh > Shawn • 3 years ago − ⚑ No one has ever said this program would make light of tragic life events such as seening a battle buddy killed or taking a life, or even make it ok. Instead these skills help you COPE and deal with these horrible life events. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is real, and as an MRT it is VERY important to know when the skills are not enough and you need to call for support. △ ▽ • Share › sabrinacking • 4 years ago − ⚑ sabrinacking • 4 years ago − ⚑ − ⚑ Positive psychology...is not science. △ ▽ • Share › sabrinacking > sabrinacking • 4 years ago Here you want a more accurate portrayal of this program and what it DOES? Read this: http://sabrinacking.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/why-... And if I ever meet "Dr." Seligman I will punch him right in the face. △ ▽ • Share › Josh > sabrinacking • 3 years ago − ⚑ Have you gone through the Master Resilience Trainer Program? △ ▽ • Share › sabrinacking > sabrinacking • 4 years ago − ⚑ This "training" has done one thing...increase the stigma to care, and label anyone suffering from trauma as of "weak character". When a Master Resiliency Training slide says: "Your response to critical incidents defines your character" It is obvious the stigma being associated to anyone COPYRIGHT MILITARY.COM 2017