How to be resourceful & resilient in times of uncertainty.

With the recent outbreak of coronavirus, it's bringing about an air of uncertainty.

We can see from the media that people, towns, cities and even countries are going into isolation or lockdown because of the pandemic.

People are responding to this by panic buying, just in case they are told to stay at home from their employers, or worse, they contract the virus.

We've been informed the best ways to help protect ourselves is to ensure we wash our hands thoroughly, frequently, use sanitizers, fist bump as opposed to shaking hands, stay away from emergency rooms and residential homes where the elderly are at a higher risk of contracting the virus.

The biggest things we can do practically to mitigate the damage to ourselves and our loved ones is to strengthen our immune systems - eat the rainbow, sleep, meditate, keep fit, lots of vit C, high strength turmeric, zinc and echinacea and keep in touch with people you love.

PLUS it’s been proven Social distancing, movement restrictions and cleanliness are absolutely the best way to contain this and let it run its course.

When faced with challenging and uncertain times like these we must be both resilient and resourceful, and not to worry if you aren't as it's in times like these we learn very quickly how to be.

My father taught me from a very young age what resilience was and how to be resourceful. Growing up on a socially deprived council estate shows you things, no textbook or school education will.

It was survival of the fittest; you were either a bully or being bullied, eat or be eaten.

I had very choice but to toughen up or risk being beaten up; the latter happened more often than not, luckily I had some great friends who had my back, especially after my brother life was accidentally tragically taken when I was 15 years of age.

This is a reminder of the power in numbers, and that in times of need and like the current events we are experiencing, we must all come together to support each other.

A year later, when I had just turned 16. my father said it would be best if I left the family home as things were extremely hostile and very fragile, it was then I had to learn life skills rapidly to survive all contact with my family had been severed.

A little over four years ago I used some of those skills my father taught me when I walked all of the U.K with very little money, (£100 to be precise) and very little else.

The walk wasn't very well planned; I had no set route, no idea what I would need as in what food or supplies to carry, no real idea about how to walk a long distance, all I knew is I could put one foot in front of the other therefore I could walk long distance.

Only when I arrived at Penzance on Sunday the 31st of January and set my tent up on Penzance beach, it broke. the poles pierced straight through the tent rendering it useless.

That same evening I received a phone call from a friend to inform me that a young lady I had met only a week before the walk, whom I happened to have delivered a talk for about resilience and recovery to her employers, had a heart attacked and passed away 2hr before the call.

All of this on top of recently attempting to end my life by suicide multiple times and being told I was suffering from borderline PTSD, high functioning anxiety, work-related stress, unresolved childhood trauma and addiction.

It sounds almost unbelievable, doesn't it?

Only it didn't stop me from doing what I set out to do, to walk one end of Britain to the other in recovery raising awareness for both mental health and homelessness.

In the day I would visit local gyms, hotels or day centres helping people with poor mental health to take a shower, and get to know them before heading off on a days walk to the help out at soup kitchens and be fed before setting up my tent in more often than not torrential rain, and sleep in temperatures that plummeted way below -3.

This is how I survived; only it wasn't that straight forward, I had to locate them first.

Now that we've covered the reason for this post let's look into the why (over the next few months at least) it's going to pay to be both resourceful and resilient.

Resilience is about how you reflect, recharge and recover, not how much you endure; this is why I believe being resourceful comes before resilience.

When it comes to being resourceful think of resourceful people as "full of resources," or tools for coming up with solutions. They adapt well to new or difficult situations, and they can think creatively.

Simply put, being resourceful is the ability to find and use available resources to solve problems.

I've listed below several ways in how to be resourceful and look after your wellbeing...

Be open-minded

Being open-minded allows you to see things from different angles, you are willing to understand other peoples views and opinions, events and things you come across. Embrace different possibilities, opportunities, people, views, suggestions and experiences. Recognize that you can learn from things that are new or different. When you can think outside of the box, you can come up with innovative solutions to problems that others can't.

Learn to see things from different angles.

This is easier said than done, right? Of course, you may think your way is the best way, and you don't have to change that, but you should read some arguments from the other side to see what the other people are saying. You may find that they have some excellent ideas of their own; and if you don't, then you'll feel more justified in your personal opinion because you'll be more informed.

Think of three positive things for every one negative.

Many close-minded people have a tendency to look at things in the world as being negative and like to stick to the things they know work for them. So, the next time you catch yourself thinking negatively —or even the next time one escapes your lips—counter it with a positive thought.

And finally, look for the positives in every situation as bad as they may seem at the time one day you may look back and be thankful for the struggle.

I can honestly say I'm grateful for all the experiences I've had on my journey through life, it's made me the most resilient and resourceful person I know.

There are many things we can do to help ourselves, but we must also be considering others.

This pandemic is showing us just how interconnected and close we all are. It's spreading quickly, and we must be prepared.

Each time we choose to wash your hands or cover a cough we are choosing to protect our families, friends and colleagues, as well as those people whose names we may never know but whose lives we value all the same. Now is not the time for panic, it's the time for compassion.

So let's start by asking ourselves 'how can I help someone today?' maybe you can make that little extra effort to wash your hands or use hand sanitizer throughout the day, perhaps you can speak up for someone who is facing discrimination, maybe you can make a friendly phone call to brighten the day for someone who is currently at home.

You can make a difference.

If you would like me to deliver a talk on resourcefulness, resilience, or anything workplace wellbeing, mental health or suicide prevention-related, get in touch or visit www.stevecarr.net for a list of bespoke training options.