How You Can Become More Resilient

By R. Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA, OSU-CCS Psychiatrist

Many students will experience more stress as the semester comes to an end.

Many will also experience other stressful events such as life tragedies, trauma, difficulties with finances, work, relationships, health, emotions, etc.

Practicing and increasing resilience in yourself can be helpful with these situations.

What is resilience?

Resilience has many definitions, here are some useful ways of thinking about resilience:

  • An ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change (1)
  • Emotional resilience is one’s ability to adapt to stressful situations (2).

What are some ways to increase resilience?

The key is to adjust.

The American Psychological Association’s report on Resilience (3) offers 10 methods to increase resilience:

Adjust your thinking

1. Practice developing confidence in your ability to solve problems.  It can be helpful to occasionally remind your self about times in the past where things were difficult and you problem solved through it.

2. Keep perspective.  Take a step back and remind yourself of the big picture, and where your current situation fits. Are you blowing things out of proportion? Or are you being realistic?

3. Keep a positive outlook by visualizing what you want instead of worrying about what you don’t want.

4. Look for solutions.  Stressful things will happen but shifting your focus from worrying about the problem to looking for solutions can be powerful. Just the change in thinking can help you feel better; and the solutions are a bonus!

5. Accept that there will often be change. It can be very helpful to accept the things that you cannot change and shift your energy to the things that you can change.

Act differently:

6. Move toward your goals:

  • Make sure that your goals are realistic.
  • Take a small step. Doing things regularly, even something small, that move you towards goals will help you feel better.

7. Take decisive actions towards problems instead of avoiding or procrastinating. This will also help reduce feelings of frustration.

8. Look for opportunities for self-discovery.

  • What lesson can you gain from the loss or setback?
  • The report goes on to say that many people who have experienced tragedies and hardship have reported better relationships, greater sense of strength even while feeling vulnerable, increased sense of self-worth, a more developed spirituality and heightened appreciation for life.

9. Connect with others:

  • Accept help and support. Counseling at OSU is a great resource.
  • Helping others can also benefit the helper. Some examples include: student organizations, civic groups, non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, volunteer groups, or other local groups.

10. Connect with yourself:

  • Do activities that you enjoy and find relaxing.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Get enough sleep.
  • Avoid alcohol, caffeine, drugs.

The report also suggests other ways that might strengthen resilience:

  • Journaling your thoughts and feelings
  • Meditation/Yoga
  • Spiritual and/or religious practices

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes. With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References:

  1. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resilience
  2. http://stress.about.com/od/understandingstress/a/resilience.htm
  3. http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx

 

 

The lasting negative impact of bullying

By R. Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA, OSU-CCS Psychiatrist
Many students might be aware of emotional harm that can occur as a result of bullying. People may not know that being bullied as a child or a young person might lead to emotional problems that occur when you are an adult.
This was highlighted in a recent study.

What was studied?

Exposure to bullying and childhood maltreatment was assessed among 5466 children aged 8 to 16 years old.
Then, at 18 years of age, symptoms of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidality were measured.
What did the study show?

This studied showed that adults who were bullied during childhood had an increased risk of anxiety, depression, and self-reported harm in the past year compared to the other groups.
What do the results mean?

While we know from studies that people who are victims of maltreatment during childhood are at an increased risk of various mental health problems during adulthood, this study suggests that people who are victims of bullying during childhood also has serious mental health consequences as the victims become adults.
It is hoped that future research will shed further light on this topic.

Have you experienced bullying in the past? Are you experiencing emotional problems now? Have you considered professional help?
Helpful resources
Counseling and medications can be helpful for a variety of mental health concerns.
ccs.osu.edu (counseling on campus)

stopbullying.gov

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 to speak to trained counselor.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes. With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References
Adult mental health consequences of peer bullying and maltreatment in childhood: two cohorts in two countries. Suzet Tanya Lereya, William E Copeland, E Jane Costello, Dieter Wolke. www.thelancet.com/psychiatry Published online April 28, 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00165-0

Study: Smoking might increase your alcohol intake

By R. Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA, OSU-CCS Psychiatrist    alcohol and smokes (3)

Over 26 studies show (4) that smoking contributes to anxiety and depression and that you can feel good and increase happiness by quitting tobacco.
Students might also know about smoking cigarettes raising your risk of cancer, stroke, heart disease, breathing problems (1) and that quitting smoking can reduce these risks (2-3).
A recent study suggests smoking might increase your alcohol consumption (5-6).

What was the study?
In this animal study (5-6), rats were trained to press a bar to obtain alcohol and were exposed to nicotine or saline in different experimental designs.

What did the study show?
This study showed that, in alcohol-dependent animals, nicotine increased:
• The speed at which alcohol was ingested,
• The amount of work that animals would do to obtain alcohol (i.e., the number of times they would press a bar to get one dose), and
• The amount of drinking despite adverse consequences

What do the results suggest?
Quitting smoking might help you drink less or quit alcohol completely. Further study is needed.

How can I quit smoking?
http://swc.osu.edu/alcohol-tobacco-other-drugs/quit-tobacco/
http://tobaccofree.osu.edu/resources/
http://smokefree.gov/
http://www.cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfromtobacco/guidetoquittingsmoking/index
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/tobaccocancer/smokelesstobaccoandhowtoquit/index

Where can I learn more about alcohol?
How much is too much, Strategies for cutting down, quitting can be found here:
http://www.ccs.osu.edu/self-help/alcohol/
http://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/default.asp

Take the OSU Free Anonymous Mental health Screen

Is smoking impacting your alcohol intake? Could you stand to feel better? Perform better academically? What other consequences are you experiencing from smoking or alcohol or both?

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes. With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References
1. US Department of Health and Human Services. The health consequences of smoking: a
report of the Surgeon General. US Department of Health and Human Services, 2004.
2. US Department of Health and Human Services. The health benefits of smoking cessation.
US Department of Health and Human Services, 1990.
3. Pirie K, Peto R, Reeves G, Green J, Beral V. The 21st century hazards of smoking and
benefits of stopping: a prospective study of one million women in the UK. Lancet
2013;381:133-41.
4. Taylor G, et al. Change in mental health after smoking cessation: systematic review and meta-analysis. OPEN ACCESS. BMJ 2014;348:g1151 doi: 10.1136/bmj.g1151 (Published 13 February 2014).

5. Leão RM et al. Chronic nicotine activates stress/reward-related brain regions and facilitates the transition to compulsive alcohol drinking. J Neurosci 2015 Apr 15; 35:6241. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3302-14.2015);
6. May 4, 2015. Want to Stop Drinking? Don’t Smoke. Steven Dubovsky MD reviewing Leão RM et al. J Neurosci 2015 Apr 15. http://www.jwatch.org/na37661/2015/05/04/want-stop-drinking-dont-smoke?query=etoc_jwpsych#sthash.94sXS2T4.dpuf