Photo By Capt. Martha Nigrelle | Texas and Rhode Island National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 143rd Infantry...... read more read more
(PEJA, Kosovo) Approximately 20 Texas and Rhode Island National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 143rd Infantry Battalion (Airborne), participated in a resiliency day hosted by the battalion’s Unit Ministry Team, Sept. 23, 2023, near Peja, Kosovo.
September is a month dedicated to raising suicide awareness and promoting efforts to preventing suicide across the force. The battalion’s chaplain, Chaplain (1st Lt.) Britton Shoelhorn and his team used the day to explore the Army’s holistic health and fitness model and the role it plays in strengthening mental and spiritual readiness.
“It is important to encourage yourself and others to focus on strengthening mental health,” said Shoellhorn. “We love to talk about selfless service in the Army. And an important aspect of selfless service is self-care. If you’re not taking care of yourself, you can’t take care of others.”
With each location set in a peaceful and tranquil environment, the resiliency trip gave Soldiers ample opportunity to exercise each tenet of the holistic health and fitness initiative, from hiking a mountain and exploring a cave, to breaking bread with each other surrounded by nature and visiting an ancient monastery.
The group started the day in the picturesque hills of Peja, hiking to the White Drin Waterfall. Halfway along the path, they stopped to listen to a class, led by Capt. Kristin Coradini, the battalion’s Physician Assistant, on strengthening resiliency through nutrition and exercise.
“Both exercise and nutrition improve brain function,” said Coradini. “This helps to improve your self-esteem, reduces anxiety and promotes a sense of calm and relaxation.”
Coradini stressed the importance of looking for a sustainable plan when improving nutrition and discussed the benefits of regular exercise and nutrition to both physical and mental readiness.
“Diet plays a big part in how you feel,” she said. “If you’re eating the right things and exercising regularly, you are going to feel good…setting yourself up for success each day.”
Some tips for diet and exercise? Ensure you’re getting enough protein and understand how much protein your body can process in one sitting. Remember that vegetables are a healthy snack and it’s okay to eat as many vegetables as you want. And know that with exercise, it doesn’t always have to be the big things. Focus on adding small things each day and staying committed to those small things.
“Food is the most abused anxiety drug, but positive nutrition can play a huge role in your emotional state,” said Coradini. “Exercise creates endorphins; it is the most under used anti-depressant.”
The Army’s holistic health and wellness initiative breaks down into five categories – physical, nutritional, mental, spiritual, and sleep. Each plays an important part in a Soldier’s total wellness and each has an impact on the other, with resiliency critical to all.
After Coradini’s class on physical wellness, Soldiers continued their hike to the waterfall.
Surrounded by hills, trickling water and the sound of the wind in the trees and the birds in the air, the group meandered along the path, pausing every so often for a photo.
At the end of the path, they paused beside the water for a short class on mental readiness, given by Shoelhorn.
Shoelhorn stressed the importance of looking for good examples and the role leaders play in fostering the mental readiness.
“Leaders play a critical role in fostering mental readiness in their team,” said Shoelhorn. “Look for the good. Don’t lose faith in those around you because one bad thing happened. You can make it through – you can’t change the past, but you can have control of your future.”
Next the group visited the second largest cave in Kosovo, dating back more than two million years and then sat down as a group, to a family-style meal of traditional food. After eating, they traveled to the Pec Monastery.
Shoelhorn addressed the final two prongs of the holistic health and wellness initiative, spiritual readiness and rest, just before the group explored the Monastery, an establishment that dates back to the 1300s.
“There are many things you can do to build spiritual resiliency,” said Shoelhorn. “We are very fortunate to have spiritual freedom in our country. The people in our force come from many different backgrounds and we need to respect and honor that.”
Shoelhorn discussed aspects of spiritual resiliency and stressed the importance of each – fellowship, prayer, forgiveness, repentance, humility, rest, hope and gratitude. He stated that each of these were areas that will strengthen spiritual resiliency, having a positive impact on a person’s well-being.
“Always find something to be thankful for,” said Shoelhorn. “No matter how tough what you’re going through is, there is always something to be thankful for.”
Regarding humility, repentance and forgiveness, he said, “Take time to recognize what you did that fell short. Repent for the things you’ve done wrong. And work to forgive those who have wronged you. This is a huge aspect of spiritual resiliency.”
Shoelhorn finished by discussing the importance of rest. Not just regular sleep, but actively taking time to identify a day of rest and being committed to honoring a day of rest for one’s self.
Soldiers explored the ancient monastery, enjoying the peace and tranquility of the day.
“Today was a great moment for me,” said Spc. Hans Barrels, a signal Soldier assigned to the battalion. “I learned that it’s okay to take a break once in a while and relax.”
Barrels said he appreciated the emphasis on self-care and the opportunity to relax and unplug in the peace and tranquil environment. He also said he felt the training would make him better able to support the mission and his team.
“Part of being in the S6 is supporting everyone’s ability to communicate across multiple platforms,” said Barrels. “If I can take care of myself, I am better able to support the team in communicating effectively.”
The idea for this training came from the unit ministry team’s noncommissioned officer in charge Sgt. Zachary Gustafson.
“I just wanted to put something together that would be useful,” said Gustafson.
According to Barrels, it was.
“Having a good attitude can make a huge difference in your team,” said Barrels. “If you can show up to work recharged and positive, you can make a difference. That will have a ripple effect on your team, on your company and maybe even on the whole battalion.”
The day ended on a high note, with a strong message of self-care and watching out for the team.
“If you tell yourself you will succeed, you significantly improve your chances of success,” said Shoelhorn. “Look for the good in each other and look for the good in yourself – Let’s all work together for continuous mental readiness.”
| Date Taken: | 09.23.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 09.27.2023 13:06 |
| Story ID: | 454425 |
| Location: | PEQ, ZZ |
| Web Views: | 218 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Army Strong -- National Guard Unit Ministry Team builds resiliency in force, by CPT Martha Nigrelle, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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