Resilience in uncertainty

Exercise and physical fitness are critical aspects of Elite military forces and their training. Furthermore, there are links between people deemed as resilient and routine physical activity levels. Exercise is also a great way to deal with "stress" and, in many respects, is a very logical way to deal with stress. After all, initiating the "stress response" primes the human body for some form of physical activity, typically a "fight, flight, freeze or fawn" response. Hence, providing the human body with some constructive physical activity to utilise all the resources unleashed during the "stress response" is logical. Research has shown that physical activity has countless health benefits, including immunological, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal. Physical activity also helps to flush the system of hormones released during the stress response. Exercise also results in the release of endorphins, a neurotransmitter which has many beneficial properties. Endorphins are the body's natural painkillers, but they can also help one sleep and significantly and positively impact one's mood. Hence, the release of endorphins after initiating the "stress response" may be viewed as desirable, as the endorphins help calm the body. Even in a pandemic, it is essential to maintain fitness levels for both physical and mental well-being. The recent pandemic has created vast changes in virtually everybody's daily life, adding uncertainty, stress, and changes to routine. Besides the benefits of maintaining some fitness regime, planning physical activity adds structure and routine and helps break up daily life. It is surprisingly easy to maintain a high fitness level without specific equipment, with very little room and virtually anywhere. In a pandemic or while travelling for work, everyday items within a bedroom, living room or kitchen can help keep one fit and active and sometimes it is just a case of being a bit creative.

Our attitude significantly impacts how we process information and are likely predisposed to react to any given situation or event. Attitudes can be formed and changed based on perceived experiences, directly impacting our feelings, beliefs and behaviours. One's attitude or perception of everyday life events can be hugely positive or negative regarding stress levels, physical well-being, and mental health. Attitudes can shape how we perceive other people, ideas, belief structures, appearance and even our feelings towards objects. All of us have encountered events that can be extreme on a scale of pleasantness to unpleasantness. Many things happen in life that can take people out of their natural comfort zone. These things can be viewed positively as challenges or negatively and hugely stressful events. Elite and special forces selection processes continuously look to "push the boundaries" and take potential candidates out of their comfort zone to see how they react. Going outside one's comfort zone in a safe and supportive environment is a means of training, self-development, and a way to push one's boundaries. If one views all events negatively, one usually tends to give up or avoid trying new things. However, resilient people rarely quit and metaphorically dust themselves off after failures or adverse events, forge on with the next challenge, and learn from the process. Our attitude can be shaped either positively or negatively by how we perceive events and experiences and the learning we take or don't take from these situations. Attitude affects why some climb mountains, jump out of planes or attempt the supposedly impossible. During times of crisis, one can either sit there and wait for the situation to change, which it will at some point, or be proactive and change ones situation for the better.

Our perception of life, in general, also has a massive impact on how we feel and process events or experiences, and we often have to choose a path(s) in life. Resilient people also demonstrate a "locus of control" or view that they have a high degree of "control over their destiny". Many of our decisions in life have a significant impact on subsequent opportunities or events. One can either believe that "nothing good ever happens for me" or "I'm so unlucky", or one can try to change things. Hence, if one takes no learning from life's experiences, one cannot expect anything to change, as the same inputs will result in the same output. It is essential to understand that we may not be able to control all things in life, such as living through a pandemic or financial crisis, but there are still things we can control. There is little point wasting physical and mental time and energy worrying about being in a pandemic, as it changes nothing. Instead, one should utilise the physical and mental energy on something we can control. Examples of things one can control include adapting to home-working, developing a routine, separating home-working from home, and looking at other careers if you cannot work or volunteer.

If one looks at Elite military personnel, nobody would join these units if they believed they had no control over their destiny. In essence, such soldiers would be partaking in the highest-risk activities and assuming that they had no control over the outcome so that most tasks would be pure suicide. However, if such soldiers were so easily expendable, why would anybody join, and governments spend large sums of money on training these people? Such personnel and organisations continually push the boundaries and learn from experiences, which provides a further locus of control for those serving members. Part of the founding ethos for the British Special Air Service (SAS) was and still is to this very day "the unrelenting pursuit of excellence".

Like attitude and locus of control, optimism plays a considerable part in the lives of resilient people. After all, if one had just had a negative experience and was not optimistic about learning from that experience and moving forward, then nothing would change. We have very little control over certain events in life, like being born, ageing, or even dying. However, we can profoundly or positively affect far more events and life experiences. One can either choose to focus on things we have little control over, "a pessimistic view", or focus on the things we can change ", an optimistic view". If one lacks optimism, one is never likely to try new things or do anything differently. Again, without optimism, nobody would even consider attempting an elite or special forces training course and view it as impossible, even though it is clear that other people have completed such courses.

Physical and psychological self-awareness is particularly essential within the elite military and special forces environments, as teams tend to be small, and a problem can impact the effectiveness and safety of the entire team. Self-awareness can make the difference between life and death. For example, being able to spot the signs and symptoms associated with hyperthermia and hypothermia early on can save one's life or those around them. Many elite-level athletes are also extremely attuned to their bodies and minds, as are most resilient people. Lacking self-awareness can lead to both physical, emotional and mental health-related problems. Self-awareness helps one understand when things are not quite right or "normal". If one just mindlessly ploughs through life with no self-awareness, one can easily miss the early signs of something being seriously wrong, physical, emotional or psychological. Even if one subconsciously notices telltale signs of a problem and ignores them, one is usually heading for severe and sometimes catastrophic failure. Such a failure may prove to be a life-changing event in some cases. Hence, it is essential to self-reflect and assess how everything feels (physically, emotionally and psychologically) from time to time and to study why things are feeling the way they are. When things seem "abnormal", one can explore why via an external intervention or professional help. There are various techniques for helping to develop self-awareness, such as meditation, mindfulness and yoga. The author is continuously surprised that relatively few patients have much self-awareness concerning how their bodies feel daily and what is "normal" and not "normal". Equally, many people appear unaware that their body is exhibiting signs of stress, yet they don't feel stressed. Many people are more aware of the need to maintain a car, house, bike, or anything other than their body, health, and well-being. Hence, education is crucial to the author's daily clinical work.

A sense of humour is another tenet from David Sterling, one of the founders of the British Special Air Service (SAS). Resilient people who work in jobs with extremes of pleasant and unpleasant experiences tend to have a good sense of humour. Humour within the Military and first responders may seem "dark" or slightly "warped" to those who have not worked in such fields. Having a sense of humour can be critical when a situation is terrible or appears hopeless and can provide a great way of adding perspective. For example, in the recent pandemic, getting a haircut or buying a particular pair of shoes may have been impossible, but what is the worst likely outcome in such a situation? On operations, soldiers may not be able to wash, shave or change their clothes for weeks, have access to food, water or shelter and be at constant risk of injury or death. Yet, military personnel can laugh at such situations and all they entail. If you cannot laugh at how bad a situation is and what could make it even worse, even if that happens, you are done physically and psychologically. Staff within the NHS, Emergency Services and Military all need a sense of humour to deal with the sometimes extreme events and experiences they encounter regularly. Hence, rather than concentrating on what you don't have, it is better to laugh about what you do and how things could be worse.

Resilient individuals also have a good social support network, which typically is not hugely extensive. The social support network may consist of a relatively small group of friends and family members. Such groups are suitable for sharing experiences, learning, self-development and discussing specific issues or problems. Tight-knit social support networks also tie in with a good sense of humour and aspects of self-awareness. Elite and special forces teams tend to have a sense of humour in abundance and operate in relatively small, highly diverse and bonded teams. Such bonds are forged through a combination of selection processes, general training, training exercises, operational deployments and social activities. There are probably few social networks that know for a fact the others within the group would or have put their life on the line for other group members. Equally, good friends are totally dependable

It is fair to say that if you don't know who your "real friends" are, then you will soon find out during a crisis. "Real friends" step up to the plate in difficult times and are there for you. Many people talk a good game, but invariably, when times get tough, the tough talkers get going. All the talkers are unreliable during the good times and absent through the bad times. These are the exact type of people who tend to fail the elite and special forces selection courses and always have many excuses as to why they failed, and it is never their fault. High-performance teams require implicit trust to operate effectively, and if one cannot accept or admit one's failings, then there can be no trust. Hence, one can invest time in self-interested people who can metaphorically "suck the life out of you" or invest time in like-minded dependable people. Equally, as humans, we tend to be risk-averse. A small core group of friends reduces risks physically and psychologically when things go wrong, as the group is dependable and everybody has everybody's back.

Spirituality does not have to mean having religious beliefs or faith, though this is one of many forms of spirituality. Resilient people also have a clear spiritual aspect in their day-to-day life. Spirituality could merely be feeling at one with the world, understanding one's place, or how one lives one's life. Spirituality can provide focus and meaning to one's life and help drive one forward. One could also view spirituality simply as a sense of purpose or calling. A sense of purpose also adds structure, routine, and focus to our daily lives, vital for physical and mental well-being. In times of crisis, it is possible to lose a sense of purpose and, thus, everything that entails. It is vitally important to have some perceived purpose, even if that changes.