Education center hosts resilience skills 'lunch-and-learn' classes

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Dillon Johnston
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  The RAF Mildenhall Education Center is scheduled to host a series of resilience skills "lunch-and-learn" classes Sept. 23 through Dec. 2, 2014.

The classes are available to all base ID card holders and are geared toward teaching attendees the essential skills needed to be resilient in life.

Resilience, as defined by the Department of Defense, is the "ability to withstand, recover and/or grow in the face of stressors and changing demands."

"(These classes) can help you live a better, happier life," said Ellen Fields, 100th Air Refueling Wing community support coordinator. "They will prepare people to overcome difficult situations in multiple facets of life."

The lunch-and-learn classes are scheduled for Tuesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Building 422, Room B. Participants are advised to bring a sack lunch, as the class does not provide food. Each class will focus on a different skill.

The classes will run on the following dates:

· Sept. 30 - A→B→C: The second of the awareness skills. The goal of A→B→C is to be aware of how the brain drives reactions to an event.

· Oct. 7 - Check Your Playbook: The third and final awareness skill. The goal of Check Your Playbook is to be aware of what influences unproductive patterns or uncharacteristic reactions (emotional and/or physical) that interfere with performance, goals or relationships.

· Oct. 14 - Balance Your Thinking and Instant BYT: The first and second of the action skills. The goal of Balance Your Thinking is to help perceive situations accurately, take action based on the evidence and to attach every unbalanced thought quickly to reduce anxiety and focus on the task.

· Oct. 21 - Accepting Strategies: The first and second of the acceptance skills. The goal of Accepting Strategies is to acknowledge negative aspects of events which can't be controlled, and disengage from negative thoughts that interfere with performance, values or goals. This will also help to shed light on difficult situations and find ways to grow and benefit from adversity.

· Oct. 28 - Capitalizing on Strengths: The goal of Capitalizing on Strengths is to identify strengths already present and find opportunities to use those strengths. It will also help to identify strengths in others.

· Nov. 4 - Spiritual Resilience: The goal of Spiritual Resilience is to strengthen the beliefs, principles, or values that sustain a sense of purpose.

· Nov. 18 - Physical Resilience: The goal of Physical Resilience is to understand how the link between physical and mental fitness improves performance, leadership and overall health.

· Nov. 25 - Interpersonal Problem Solving: Helps individuals address problems in a manner that still shows respect for the relationship and lowers the intensity of negative communication patterns.

· Dec. 2 - Good Listening and Active Constructive Responding: The goal of Good Listening is to make a person feel safe in speaking to someone as a confidant. Active Constructive Responding aims to express involvement, excitement or enthusiasm about another person's positive event.

For more information, or to sign up for a lunch-and-learn class, contact Ellen Fields at DSN 238-3081 or commercial at 01638 543081.