Five Tips for Resilience During Disease Outbreaks
1. Make connections
Keep in touch with family, friends and others.This can be especially true if you or someone you know is faced with a disease-related quarantine. Even if your connections can’t be face-to-face and must be over the telephone or the Internet, connecting with people provides social support and strengthens resilience. Especially with infectious diseases, the fear and stigma of the disease can be nearly as devastating as the disease itself, so it’s vital to maintain connections in some way if you or someone you know is faced with one of these diseases.Some find comfort in connecting with a higher power, whether through organized religion or privately. Many people find that they have comforted themselves in the process of volunteering or helping others in some way.
2. Maintain a hopeful outlook
Keep in mind that the world’s best scientists are working to develop cures and vaccines to keep a step ahead of infectious diseases and that, even though some have contracted infections, many have survived.
3. Take care of yourself
Don’t let your worry about getting sick be a barrier to staying well. Make time to eat properly, exercise, and rest. Schedule time to do things you enjoy such as hobbies and social activities. Caring for yourself and even having fun will help you stay balanced and enable you to better deal with stressful times.
4. Keep things in perspective
Although you should not take any infectious disease such as SARS lightly, you should realistically assess the risk of contagion. Find a credible source for your information. Because news stories tend to report the “worst-case scenarios,” consider limiting the amount of time you and your family spend watching and reading disease-related news coverage. Although it’s natural to seek out the news to keep informed, too much news can make you more anxious especially when news coverage sensationalizes the dangers. Perhaps limit your news intake to no more than one hour a day, and try not to watch the news right before you go to bed, when you need to “wind down.” Your children also will benefit from taking a break from the news, but be honest with children’s fears if they do ask questions because of something they’ve heard.
5. Take decisive actions
Despite SARS and other diseases, there are certain things you can and should control. Trust yourself to make appropriate decisions if you are exposed and to be strong if someone you love is exposed. Do take the precautions recommended by medical professionals, but maintain your daily routine as much as possible. Make a plan about what you would do if you were quarantined. Having an emergency plan in place that includes provisions for contacting your friends and family can be reassuring that you are prepared for the unexpected.
You probably already have some resilience skills. Recall the ways you have successfully handled hardships in the past, such as the loss of a loved one, a divorce, or major illness. Draw on these skills to meet current challenges. Resilience can be an important part of your mental preventive care. It is a psychological tool that can help us deal with anxiety, fear and distressful events such as the threat of SARS and other infectious disease outbreaks.
Developing resilience is a personal journey. An approach to building resilience that works for you might not work for someone else. If you are feeling stuck or overwhelmed and unable to use the tips listed above, you may want to consider talking to someone who can help, such as a psychologist or other mental health professional. Turning to someone for guidance may help you strengthen resilience and persevere.
Information contained in this fact sheet should not be used as a substitute for professional health and mental health care or consultation. Individuals who believe they may need or benefit from care should consult a psychologist or other licensed health/mental health professional.
Article courtesy of the American Psychological Association. Copyright © American Psychological Association. Reprinted here with permission.
Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 18 Aug 2007
