The Foreign Service Journal, March 2019

40 MARCH 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL need support from time to time—reaching out for help is a sign of strength. Positive Outlook . Maintaining a positive outlook is essential to personal resilience. Consciously focus on what is going well in your life, and positively reframe the parts that aren’t going so well. Positive reframing might require you to zoom your perspective in or out, or look at an issue from a differ- ent angle. I’ll never forget how upset I was when I didn’t get my dream job, but then I broadened my perspective and ended up with a great opportunity at FSI, which led to my current job. Spend time every day thinking about what you are grateful for, and then express that gratefulness to col- leagues, friends and family. Write a thank-you note to someone to whom you are grateful at the end of each day. Spending a few minutes thinking about the good things that happen each day is healthier than focusing on the negatives. Laugh often. If you’ve had a particularly stressful day, watch a funny YouTube video or sitcom. Keep yourself humble by engaging in self-deprecating humor. Meaning and Purpose. Research indi- cates that a person’s sense of meaning and purpose directly links to their personal resil- ience. Find ways to routinely insert meaning and purpose into your life. While many of us in the Foreign Service find significant mean- ing in our work, we often overlook other areas such as religion, family, service projects, volunteer work or hobbies. When we have a crisis of meaning at work, we have no other pur- pose to fall back on. Make time for activities that give purpose to your life outside of work. Be passionate about something. Be helpful to others. Social Support. In-person social interactions and meaning- ful relationships are essential to your well-being and personal resilience. The depth of individual relationships outweighs the number of connections one has. Life in the Foreign Service can take its toll on social support networks, which means you have to be more intentional about building and maintaining relation- ships. Nurture your friendships and family relationships by making time for visits and phone calls. Spend some of your R&R and vacation visiting friends and family, and encourage them to visit you at post. Build support among your work colleagues. One of my best friends is someone I never would have gotten to know in Wash- ington, D.C. But when we found ourselves at a small post with few single women, we overlooked our differences and built a lasting bond. For my fellow introverts: Resist the temptation when feeling down to isolate yourself, and instead spend time with a close friend who won’t drain you of energy. Building and maintaining resilience will not only prepare you for the unexpected. It will also help you adapt to change, succeed despite uncertainty and achieve difficult foreign policy goals. You’ll become a better Foreign Service professional, friend and family member, as well. n For more information about how to build resilience, indi- viduals with State Department Open Net access can subscribe to CEFAR’s blog at: http://cas.state.gov/fosteringresilience or contact CEFAR at FSITCresilience@state.gov . The Center of Excellence in Foreign Affairs Resilience was established in 2016.