SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo.-- --
Serving in the military can be stressful and compounded with family life, can overwhelm and lead to personal crisis.
Fortunately, the Airman and Family Readiness Center at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, led an Overcome Overload class to help Airmen become more resilient.
“This is a fun class for Schriever AFB personnel to obtain strategies and advice to help them overcome being overloaded and feel more in control of their life and time,” said Ruth Moore, community readiness consultant with the 50th Force Support Squadron.
Moore said the military lifestyle has unique factors, which can add stress to one’s life.
“Military members and their families face unique challenges, deployments, family separations, long work hours and high operations tempos,” she said. “We help members learn how to incorporate resilience interventions into their personal and professional lives.”
A key emphasis of the class was seeking balance between work and personal life in order to achieve a stable mental foundation.
To achieve this, the class gave Airmen a toolkit of 10 core techniques:
1. Take control
Change one’s mindset and let go of the things one can’t control. Instead focus on controllable factors, such as feelings and behavior.
2. Recognize and deal with stress
Learn to recognize what stress is and the factors which cause it to pinpoint its source.
3. Prioritize
Set long term and short term priorities and have a goal in mind.
4. Set limits
Learn to say “no” and establish boundaries, separating work and personal life.
5. Get organized
Make the most of one’s time, being organized helps free up valuable down time.
6. Make time for yourself
Treating oneself helps strengthen resiliency; be sure to schedule free time.
7. Connect with friends and family
People who have strong social connections can feel more secure in their life and therefore have less stress.
8. Manage information overload
Stick to one’s priorities and minimize distractions.
9. Be healthy
A healthy body leads to a healthy mind and can alleviate the physical factors associated with stress.
10. Practice being resilient
Resiliency is key to being able to adapt to stress and trauma and using these techniques even for smaller stress factors strengthens an individual.
“You don't have to completely overhaul your life to deal with stress,” Moore said. “Start with a few changes, then add more as you begin to feel more in control and less overwhelmed.”
First Lieutenant Walker Fickling, chief of the military personnel flight with the 50th FSS and class attendee, said these techniques and other teachings from the class have given him a larger arsenal to deal with stress.
“The class was full of great information that is applicable to my daily life,” he said. “The input from the other members in attendance made me realize that I am not alone when I'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed.”
Moore said she enjoys teaching the class and helping strengthen the Schriever AFB community, fulfilling the 50th Space Wing’s priority of taking care of Airmen and their families always.
“A&FRC staff are always committed to providing a range of quality programs to meet the needs of Schriever Airmen and their families,” she said.
Fickling advocated for the class’ benefits.
“I would recommend this class to anyone,” he said. “In the future, I will be able to more proactively prevent the feeling of being overloaded.”
For more information about A&FRC services, call 567-3920.