In any period of transition and significant challenges, developing your capacity to "bounce back" is paramount to emotional health.

Emotional resilience—the ability to handle life's challenges while maintaining a positive outlook—is key to adapting and bouncing back from adversity. But it's not just an essential skill to have during your veteran transition and beyond; it's something that, when cultivated, can help you navigate life challenges with a lot more ease and a lot less stress.

Interestingly enough, you can build resilience through simple practices that, while they seem like they connect, actually help provide a strong foundation for your emotional needs.

1. Self Care. To truly build emotional resilience, it's essential to practice self-care. Taking care of your physical, emotional, and mental health is critical to maintaining a positive outlook, so engage in activities that bring you joy, and make sure you're getting enough rest and eating well. You can't expect to be emotionally and mentally happy when your body is struggling to keep going physically!
2. Seek Support. Utilizing the human-centered programs and resources available to veterans, such as career counseling, job training, and mental health services, can provide the support you need during this period. Talking to a friend or a counselor can also be a safe space to discuss your emotions and gain support from those who understand what you're going through. Whatever your support systems look like, make sure you actively utilize them and engage them when you need them.
3. Set Realistic Goals. Creating a plan and setting achievable goals can help you stay focused and motivated. Celebrate your progress and small victories along the way. Remember, success is achieved through perseverance and dedication, and setbacks are a natural part of any transition, so if you feel like you've failed or given up, remember it's okay to start again at any stage or step.
4. Examine Your Own Outlook. Practice positive self-talk, and surround yourself with positive influences and people who support your journey. Remember that you have the strength and the skills to overcome any challenge that comes your way.

Building emotional resilience is a process, and it takes time and effort, but with the right mindset and support, you can thrive during your veteran transition and beyond. And if we can help you along the way, please reach out to The RECON Network and let us know.

We'll have more on the different emotional aspects of transition and life change in upcoming issues, so subscribe now to get them weekly here on LinkedIn!

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