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By Richard Barton, Clinical Social Worker, Defense Health Agency-Public Health
Richard Barton, an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran who retired from the U.S. Army in 2012, holds a doctorate in clinical social work and served as brigade behavioral health officer several times. His primary focus at Defense Health Agency-Public Health is on behavioral health and suicide prevention.
Military service demands special strength, not just physically but also mentally and emotionally. The unique demands of military life—deployments, challenging environments, frequent moves, and separation from loved ones—can impact even the toughest individuals. That's why building individual resiliency is not just valuable; it's fundamental. Resiliency isn't about being immune to stress; it's about adapting to challenges and emerging better for it. It's also about developing a strengths-based mindset practiced by applying skills and strategies to keep going when faced with adversity.
Here are some key strategies for building resiliency:
Strengthen your connections
• Team Connection: Work to foster strong, supportive relationships within your unit. These bonds help create a sense of cohesion, esprit de corps, and shared experiences, which are important for successfully navigating hardship and adversity.
• Connecting with others: Use active-listening skills (https://www.armyresilience.army.mil/ard/r2/pdf/Modules/Module3/Active Listening Checklist.pdf) to build healthy connections and increase self-awareness by learning new ways to manage emotions, think through problems, and face challenges or setbacks.
• Seek help when needed: Help-seeking shows the ability to single out challenges you can manage and those that can best be solved by seeking help from others. It also connects us to resources and strategies we might not have known about, adding to our problem-solving duffle or sea bag. What you ignore today may cost more tomorrow. Speak up. Reach out.
Master your mind
• Develop self-discipline: Self-discipline includes identifying and aiming for goals that can change the way you think, feel, and act. Goal setting involves targeting an outcome, such as increasing your level of physical fitness, working at being more positive in your thoughts or attitudes, or increasing your general sense of well-being. In the long run, self-discipline includes committing to goals that can have a positive change on your behavior, thoughts, and emotions.
• Learn and practice mindfulness (https://www.militaryonesource.mil/resources/millife-guides/during-military-deployment/) and stress reduction techniques. Mind-body techniques, such as tactical breathing (https://www.med.navy.mil/Portals/62/Documents/NMFA/NMCPHC/root/Documents/health-promotion-wellness/psychological-emotional-wellbeing/Combat-Tactical-Breathing.pdf), meditation, and relaxation, help manage stress, improve focus, and promote personal well-being.
• Confront negative thoughts: Just as physical exercise enhances strength, confronting negative thinking develops mental strength. The more you engage in this practice, the easier it becomes to spot and counter harmful thought patterns. A helpful technique is reframing, where you learn to identify negative thoughts and think of other ways to have a more balanced outlook. For instance, instead of saying, "I always mess up," you might say, "I've made mistakes, but the lessons learned help me improve."
• Develop a growth mindset: Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and learning. View setbacks as temporary and focus on solutions rather than just thinking about problems.
Fuel your body
• Prioritize sleep: Military life can impact sleep quality. When deployed, maximize your sleep time by limiting nonessential activities and using downtime power naps to reboot. When in homeport, on base, or in garrison, set a sleep schedule that aims for 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep.
• Maintain a balanced diet: When they’re available, fuel your body (https://www.militaryonesource.mil/resources/millife-guides/fitness-nutrition/) with colorful, nutrient-rich foods (https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/what-is-myplate) that provide sustained energy and support physical and mental health.
• Engage in regular physical activity: Exercise is a powerful stress reliever and mood booster. Find routines and gear (for example, bands) that are adaptable to your environment, and work to be consistent.
Keep your focus
• Reconnect with the "why": Remind yourself why you chose to serve and the positive impact of that choice. A sense of purpose provides resolve and resilience during challenging times.
• Expand your interests: Find pastimes and/or activities—outside of your daily duties—that you enjoy and find rewarding. This will help you maintain a sense of self and avoid feelings of burnout.
• Set goals: Set achievable goals for yourself, both professionally and personally. Achieving your goals, whether short- or long-term, provides feelings of accomplishment and increased self-confidence.
• Remember: Building resiliency is continuous, with no end state. It takes time, effort, and commitment. By focusing on your mental, emotional, and physical well-being, you can develop the inner discipline and resilience to live a healthy military lifestyle and face the challenges it brings.
Additional resources:
• Resilience tools (https://www.militaryonesource.mil/benefits/resilience-tools/): Military OneSource’s suite of free resilience tools can help you manage your mood, strengthen your relationships, set goals and become more mission ready.
• Resilience training courses (https://www.militaryonesource.mil/resources/training/resilience-training-courses/): These resilience training courses are designed to help service members and providers.
• MilLife Guides (https://www.militaryonesource.mil/recreation-travel-shopping/mwr/millife-guides/): MilLife guides, provided by Military OneSource, curates essential information on benefits, tools and resources, as well as links to additional relevant content and access to personalized coaching and confidential counseling.
• Strengthen family bonds (https://www.militaryonesource.mil/resources/millife-guides/strengthen-family-bonds/): This MilLife guide offers tips and resources for helping families build resilience while dealing with the demands of military life.
The Defense Health Agency supports our Nation by improving health and building readiness—making extraordinary experiences ordinary and exceptional outcomes routine.
NOTE: The mention of any non-federal entity and/or its products is for informational purposes only, and is not to be construed or interpreted, in any manner, as federal endorsement of that non-federal entity or its products.
| Date Taken: | 07.31.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.31.2025 10:43 |
| Story ID: | 544376 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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