Mental Health & Resilience Resources for Veterans
Veteran Mental Health and Resilience Resources
There are times when building resilience requires the support of trained professionals. When you aren’t feeling resilient and the stresses in your life are overwhelming it is always appropriate to seek support. The following are mental health and resilience resources for veterans.
What is Resilience?
Resilience is a tool that helps protect mental health and is extremely important among service members, veterans, and their family members. In uncertain times like these, it is an increasingly important concept to understand.
According to the American Psychological Association, resilience is “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress.” Everyone experiences it – from mundane everyday stress to traumatic and life-altering events. Resilience is how we “bounce back” from stressors. Important points about stress and resilience:
- Everyone experiences stress
- The way that stress affects us is related to how we manage it
- Some people tend to be more resilient than others
- Resilience involves gaining control over aspects of life that can be controlled
- Anyone can learn resiliency skills
- Resilience has an inverse relationship with stress
TRICARE Mental Health Care Via Telemedicine
TRICARE expanded telemedicine for mental health care to include:
- Telemental health services
- Medication-assisted treatment
- Opioid treatment programs
- Intensive outpatient programs
RELATED: Telemedicine Benefits for Military and Veterans
VA Mental Health Resources
The VA offers several apps that support mental health. Some of the most popular include:
- COVID Coach supports self-care and overall mental health during the coronavirus pandemic.
- PTSD Coach provides info, support, and tools needed to manage PTSD.
- Mindfulness Coach teaches mindfulness as a stress-reduction tool.
- PTSD Family Coach provides support for those living with someone who has PTSD.
The Circle of Health
The VA describes the big-picture concept of health and wellness involving the relationship between aspects of your life and your well-being.
It has 4 components:
- You and your unique experiences are at the center
- Immediately surrounding you in the center are Self Care actions that you can do to improve your own wellness
- Beyond that is the Professional Care received from healthcare providers in the form of prevention and treatment
- Surrounding all of these components is your Community – the people and groups that you are connected to
Closely related to the 9 aspects of self-care described in the Circle of Health model, the VA offers Live Whole Health videos that align with the self-care strategies described in the Circle of Health model. Among these episodes are:
- Breathing practices
- Visualization
- Mobility exercises
- Muscle Relaxation
- Tai Chi
- Music Therapy
Resilience and mental health are important aspects of overall health and wellness – and they are even more important during the coronavirus pandemic. Pay attention to how you react to stressors and take advantage of the resources available to you to improve your mental health and resilience.
How to Build Mental Health Resilience
Build Connections
Surround yourself with a supportive network of people. Social distancing and quarantine can feel isolating. Call someone on the phone or use free videoconferencing apps—like Zoom, MarcoPolo, FaceTime, or Google Hangouts—to connect with others.
Practice Wellness and Self-care Strategies
Focus on managing stress in positive ways. One positive way to manage stress is to develop a routine that includes healthy habits like exercise, sleep, and a healthy diet. Others include journaling or practicing relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation.
RELATED: Health and Wellness Military Discounts
Practice Healthy Thinking
Practice healthy thoughts by practicing positive and realistic thinking patterns, working to accept change, and having an optimistic outlook. Limiting media exposure and choosing reputable sources of information can help improve optimism.
When Stress is Overwhelming
Building resilience may require help and support from professionals with the proper training to assist you. It is always appropriate to seek support from professionals when you’re not feeling as resilient and you find life’s stresses are overwhelming.
Keep any existing mental health appointments you may currently have scheduled. Contact your healthcare provider to learn about changing to a telemedicine appointment.
In addition to contacting your healthcare provider, you can take the Veterans Self-Check Quiz to learn how stress might be affecting you.
RELATED:
- Telemedicine Benefits for Military and Veterans
- Organizations that Help Military Kids and Families
- Suicide Prevention Resources for Military and Veterans
- PTSD Awareness Day is June 27th
- Where To Find Service Dogs For Veterans
About the author
Julie Provost is a freelance writer, and blogger. She lives in Tennessee with her National Guard husband and three boys.
