WASHINGTON -- The American Psychological Association (APA) announced today that it is offering materials free to the public that can help people build resilience in a time of war.
"We're already getting a demand for these materials created by the anxiety people are feeling about what's happening in the world right now," said Russ Newman, Ph.D., J.D., executive director for professional practice at the APA. "Based on the reaction to the original resilience materials we produced, we think these war-themed materials will do a lot of good."
The resilience materials are an outgrowth of APA's successful Road to Resilience campaign that was launched in response to September 11, 2001. More than 78,000 Road to Resilience brochures have been requested since that time, along with more than 1,300 "toolkits" that practicing psychologists who are members of APA use to help their clients and communities build resilience skills.
"Unlike one-time traumas, war requires its own kind of resilience because we don't know when a war will end, and - especially in this war - terrorism has brought war closer to home than ever before," Newman said.
The materials include brochures aimed at consumers, parents and teachers of very young children, parents and teachers of elementary school children, parents and teachers of middle school children, parents and teachers of highschoolers, and teens.
Some of the tips include:
Maintain a daily routine
Keeping up your daily routine of work, errands, household chores and hobbies provides you with a feeling of stability when the world around you seems chaotic.
Take care of yourself
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.
Make connections
Keep in touch with family, friends and others. Connecting with people provides social support and strengthens resilience.
Give yourself a "news break"
Be sure to control the amount of time you and your family spend watching and reading war-related news coverage. Perhaps limit your news intake to no more than one hour a day. It's okay to turn off the TV or radio and allow yourself to focus on non-war-related things.
Have a plan
Having an emergency plan in place will make you feel in control and prepared for the unexpected. Establish a clear plan for how you, your family and friends will respond and connect in the event of a crisis. Have a family or neighborhood meeting to talk about who to call in emergencies or designate a place to meet if you can't reach someone by phone. Make a plan for your pets and a list of items you will need to take in an emergency.
"We've been hearing about the items we need to stockpile in our emergency kit," Newman said. "The skills of resilience should be in your psychological toolkit to help you bounce back in a time of war."