As a military family member, you might hear about building and fostering resilience fairly often. Military family resilience is a big concept with many moving pieces. To help break it down—and optimize your family in the process—take a look at these key components of the most resilient families. And check out the top 11 traits of optimized families, too.
Is Your Family Optimized?
It takes a lot of character and grit to be a military family. But as many families know, true resilience comes from supporting each other and navigating challenges together. Optimized families who face adversity head-on tend to come through the tough stuff feeling stronger, braver, and more resourceful.
Be in it together
Beliefs
- Think about what matters most to your family.
- Strive to learn something positive about each other after a challenging time.
- Accept the present for what it is and trust your ability to adapt over time.
Ask yourself
- What does your family stand for?
- Which values are important to you?
- What does the future look like for your family?
Build your bonds.
Organization
- Practice flexibility to rebound when things don’t go as planned.
- Apologize, forgive, and show accountability to help mend things and move on.
- Enjoy and appreciate fun times together.
Ask yourself
- What are your family’s routines and traditions?
- Do you say what you mean and mean what you say?
- How do you spend quality time together?
Share, listen, and learn
Communication
- Share emotions openly and respectfully.
- Prioritize empathy and honesty.
- Talk about problems before they become unmanageable.
Ask yourself
- How do you resolve conflict?
- What can you learn from your failures as a family?
- How do you validate each other’s feelings?
Human Performance Resource Center. Consortium for Health and Military Performance.
References
Meadows, S. O., Beckett, M. K., Bowling, K., Golinelli, D., Fisher, M. P., Martin, L. T., . . . Osilla, K. C. (2015). Family resilience in the military: Definitions, models, and policies. Retrieved 22 May 2019 from https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR400/RR470/RAND_RR470.pdf
Walsh, F. (2006). Strengthening Family Resilience (Second ed.). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.