5.7.1 Building Resiliency

As advocates, it’s important to develop and strengthen your resiliency.

Although you may be energized by the work you do, there are also negative effects such as vicarious trauma and burnout, of which you need to be aware and from which you need to protect yourself.

Resiliency: Resiliency is the ability to return to functioning healthily after being in a stressful situation. It’s also considered the power to cope with adversity and adapt to challenges or change.

Learning to identify and implement self-care strategies can help you to be resilient as you react to stress.

Self-care builds resiliency, so we will explore how to create a self-care plan that you can use alongside your advocacy work.

Research has shown five core elements of resilience, which we can develop as advocates:

Personal perspective and meaning: Acknowledging the meaning that you attach to your work as an advocate and the challenges you face help keep you focused and self-aware. Maintaining your own unique perspective and point of view as you navigate advocacy keeps you centered in your own experience and helps you avoid over-identifying with survivors.

A sense of hope: A positive outlook and the belief that situations will improve are trademarks of an active hope that recognizes the challenges that survivors face while maintaining optimism in the face of these challenges.

Healthy coping: Being aware of the positive and negative aspects of your advocacy work helps you to see the impact that volunteering has on your emotional, mental and physical needs. With this awareness, you can proactively address negative feelings and develop positive and healthy coping mechanisms.

Strong relationships: Positive relationships with others in your support network reduces the feeling of isolation that this type of work can sometimes have.

Self-knowledge and insight: Having a clear sense of your feelings and beliefs allows you to be who you are, instead of who others may want you to be. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses allows you to build on where you are already successful and seek support for your own personal development.