COVID-19 has turned life as we knew it upside down, pushing us to rely on our resilience skills to support us through the daily challenges we are now experiencing.  This is true not only of us as individuals, but also of our teams.  Our need for human connection only increases as we face danger or uncertainty, making the challenge of the pandemic even that much more difficult for us to cope with. To improve our coping and to allow us to live a relatively “normal” daily life, we need to build our resilience skills among ourselves and our teams, families and communities. Here are some building blocks to increase our resilience in challenging times.

Scroll down to the end of the article for a downloadable version of this article to share as an internal resource for team members looking to work on building resilience.

1. Self- Compassion

While resilience allows us to bounce back from challenges, disaster and grief, the first step in the process is to recognize that what you are experiencing is in fact “challenging”. Give yourself permission to say, “this is scary” or “I’m uncertain of what is next” and use compassion with yourself.  It is ok.

INVEST IN: The Mindstrong Program is a resiliency training recommended by Dr. Deana Sievert, CNO of the MetroRegion ProMedica Health System. “Even if you’re around resilient people, you’re still going to struggle sometimes… give them some tools to help when they’re not at work.”

2. Flexibility

As you grapple with your new normal, there will be moments of loss of “the old” and maybe even frustration. Flexibility is key. Give yourself the chance to adjust previously held standards that do not make sense anymore or at least right now.  Flexibility will help you navigate through uncertain times.

SHIFT YOUR MIND: David Baiada, CEO of BAYADA Home Healthcare, reminded us: “Resilience isn’t only required when you’re in crisis. Right now, people are dealing with all kinds of challenges in their personal and professional life, all the time.”

3. Reframe Frustrations

Mindset is everything as you work to build your resilience skills. Those who can detect “the good” in situations, even in difficult situations, tend to be more resilient. When you find yourself frustrated, reframe it so that you can see the positive aspects of the situation.

PRACTICE: The leadership standpoint of being “radically caregiver centric,” a viewpoint Brian Helleland, CEO of St. Jude’s Medical Center deployed during the pandemic: “You know, we took thank you and appreciation and recognition to a completely different level.

4. Rest

Our brain is recharged during sleep. The lack of sleep reduces your ability to be resilient at a time when resilience is nearly “mandatory”. Plan to power down before you actually jump in bed to provide the opportunity for better sleep so you can sustain the energy needed for tomorrow’s resilience

LISTEN TO: Dr. Maureen Fagan’s Gut + Science episode on using Reflection to Recharge. The CNE of University of Miami Health shared: “When I get home I sit outside. No matter what the temperature is, to be able to actually breathe without your mask [outdoors] with no one else around is a saving grace in this pandemic.”

5. Physical Activity

There are three types of human energy: emotional, mental, and physical energy.  While  physical energy is the most important and as this diminishes, we are more emotionally reactive and our thinking lacks clarity. Physical activity and exercise builds physical energy so take a few minutes to play with your kids in the yard, a short walk with the dog, or anything to create some physical energy. This will reset your supply of physical energy, which allows you to apply your emotional and mental energy to the stressors that you experience.

WATCH NOW: For those looking for expert guidance on the subject of building resilience, watch the Building Resilience on-demand panel discussion featuring David Baiada, CEO of BAYADA Home Healthcare; Dr. Maureen Fagan, CNE of University of Miami Health; Brian Helleland, CEO of St. Jude’s Medical Center; and  Dr. Deana Sievert, CNO of the MetroRegion ProMedica Health System.

Download the 4 Building Blocks of Resilience flyer here.

Dr. Bonnie Clipper, DNP, MA, MBA, RN, CENP, FACHE is the Chief Clinical Officer at Wambi. Bonnie is an expert in the nursing innovation space and is the #1 Nursing Influencer on LinkedIn.  Bonnie was the first Vice President of Innovation for the American Nurses Association and created the innovation framework that is inspiring 4 million registered nurses to transform health through nurse-led innovation.  Prior to that Bonnie spent more than 20 years in executive nursing roles.  She is the top nurse influencer in LinkedIn and speaks internationally on nurse-led innovation and the future of nursing. Dr. Clipper is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellow alumna and an ASU/AONE Executive Fellow in Health Innovation Leadership alumna. As Chief Clinical Officer, Bonnie focuses on metrics, outcomes, industry trends, thought leadership, and clinical innovation. She has published the Amazon international best-seller The Nurse’s Guide to Innovation, The Innovation Roadmap: A Guide for Nurse Leaders, and has published on the impact of AI and robots on nursing practice, as well as authored The Nurse Managers Guide to an Intergenerational Workforce.

• Connect with Bonnie on LinkedIn 
• Learn more about the Wambi platform

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Aug. 5, 2021. Wambi is pleased to announce that Dr. Bonnie Clipper, DNP, MA, MBA, RN, CENP, FACHE, has been selected to be a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (Academy). Induction into the Academy is a significant milestone in a nurse leader’s career in which their accomplishments are honored by their colleagues within and outside the profession. Fellows are selected based on their contributions and impact to advance the public’s health.

As Chief Clinical Officer at Wambi, Dr. Clipper imports the voice of the nurse and patient into the design, development, and workflows to ensure that the solutions meet the needs of clients and solve the right problems. Bonnie’s unique experience as a healthcare executive, innovation leader, and nurse in the technology space has shaped her ability to ask thought-provoking questions that challenge the status quo to transform health for all and build partnerships that find creative solutions to complex problems.

“We are thrilled to recognize Bonnie for this well-deserved achievement,” shares Wambi CEO Rebecca Metter. “With her extensive background in clinical innovation, Bonnie provides a deep knowledge and important perspective that continues to transform our clients’ experiences, while increasing our awareness in the healthcare industry. We are incredibly fortunate to have Bonnie as part of our Wambi family.”

The Academy is an honorific society that recognizes nursing’s most accomplished leaders in policy, research, practice, administration, and academia. Academy Fellows, from nearly 40 countries, hold a wide variety of roles influencing health care. Induction into the Fellowship represents more than recognition of one’s accomplishments within the nursing profession. Fellows contribute their collective expertise to the Academy, engaging with health leaders nationally and globally to improve health and achieve health equity by impacting policy through nursing leadership, innovation, and science.

Through a competitive, rigorous application process, the Academy’s Fellow Selection Committee, which is comprised of current Fellows, reviewed hundreds of applications to select the 2021 Fellows. Dr. Clipper was one of 225 individuals selected to be inducted into the 2021 Class of Fellows. The 2021 Fellows represent 38 states, the District of Columbia, and 18 countries.

The 2021 inductees will be recognized for their significant contributions to health and health care at the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference, taking place on October 7-9, 2021. This year’s conference and induction ceremony will be offered in a hybrid format, allowing attendees to participate either in-person (at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC) or virtually allowing for maximum attendance through an inclusive format where colleagues, friends, and family members who may not be able to attend the event in person are able to participate. This year’s induction ceremony, which will feature personalized video vignettes and live streaming of each inductee, will be a special way to recognize the new Fellows as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge traditional methods of celebration.

Learn more about the Academy and visit the hybrid policy conference website for more details.

The American Academy of Nursing serves the public by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. Academy Fellows are inducted into the organization for their extraordinary contributions to improve health locally and globally. With more than 2,800 Fellows, the Academy represents nursing’s most accomplished leaders in policy, research, administration, practice, and academia.

Wambi’s holistic real-time recognition and culture transformation solution improves the healthcare experience for patients and staff through the power of gratitude. Gamified engagement technology delivers real-time feedback from patients and team members that recognizes and motivates optimal care. With the proven ability to increase workforce engagement, reduce clinician burnout, and drive higher patient satisfaction, Wambi improves human connection for all. Learn more about our solution here.

My recent brush with burnout left me reeling for a bit but ultimately set me on a path of learning and growth. Funny how our struggles tend to do that! I am fortunate to work for an incredible company that listens and supports its employees. When I went to our CEO to share my struggles and propose my plan (which included creating an entirely new role in the company), she supported me without hesitation. Thank you, Rebecca Metter!

Part of that proposal was obtaining a professional certificate to learn more about the Science of Happiness at Work. I am happily making my way through the excellent curriculum put together by the team at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. I would like to “pay it forward” by sharing a little of what I have learned so far. I have seen and felt an impact in my daily life, both at work and elsewhere. If you are also interested in fostering deeper connections at work and home, here are some things you can try.

Start with gratitude. 

Our grandparents were onto something here! Gratitude is good for us. In sharing thanks and appreciation, we see the good in our lives and acknowledge that the source of that goodness lies outside of ourselves. Expressing gratitude leads people to be happier, healthier, and more optimistic. When we receive gratitude, we feel valued and motivated, and we want to pay it forward by thanking someone else. Gratitude is a superpower we can tap into every day to lower stress and strengthen connections with our families, friends, and colleagues. It is also the beginning of empathy, as it requires that we see the positive intentions and effort in another’s actions.

Try this:

• Write down three things you’re grateful for, and if one of them is a person, write them a note of gratitude sharing the things you most value and appreciate about them. If that person is a work colleague and your organization uses Wambi, you can write them a Carepostcard! Chances are, receiving that note will make their day, and yours, too.
• If you are a leader, you can put team members on the “appreciation hot seat.” During your next team meeting, pick one employee and have everyone on your team share what they most appreciate about that person (you too!) Wambi users can memorialize this appreciation with Carepostcards, so team members can look back at this gratitude any time they feel depleted.

Seek out and savor moments of positivity resonance.

You might be less familiar with this term, but I guarantee you’re familiar with the effects! Dr. Barbara Fredrickson at UNC-Chapel Hill defines positivity resonance as “a synthesis of shared positive affect, mutual care and concern, plus behavioral and biological synchrony.” Or put more simply, those moments of connection when we are with people who just seem to “get us.” Of course, these can be people we know well – our partner, bestie, favorite colleague, etc. But the great thing is that these can also be strangers we are meeting for the first time: the new barista who treats us with kindness and loves Harry Potter as much as we do, a new colleague with a mutual appreciation of apples with peanut butter, the parent at the park who shares our love of slides (or at least watching our kids on the slides). We’ve all had that experience of hitting it off with someone and walking away feeling that life is good. And our body feels it, too. These moments of positive connection impact our health by improving our body’s inflammatory response and immune function.

We can seek out more of these moments with our favorite people and also with strangers. Every new person we meet is an opportunity to experience the glow of positivity resonance, even if just for a moment. All we need to do is look up from our phones and engage.

Try this:

• Reach out to the friend or family member who always makes you feel loved and valued, and schedule time to connect either virtually or, if possible, in person.
• The next time you are waiting in line, strike up a conversation with the person nearest you. It might seem awkward at first, but we are all craving a smile and understanding. Chances are, they’ll appreciate the effort, and you’ll reap the psychological and biological rewards.
• Introduce yourself to a new colleague at work. We make this easy in Wambi by presenting profiles of folks on the team so you can see who is new. Wambi users can send a Carepostcard to say hello to new team members and get to know who they are outside of work.

Embrace civility, kindness, empathy, and compassion to strengthen connections.

Sharing gratitude and moments of positivity resonance with others will increase positive emotions and give us the building blocks for an upward spiral of positivity. You’ve probably heard of, and maybe experienced, the downward spiral of negative emotions. The good news is that positive emotions have a similar but opposite effect. When we intentionally cultivate positivity and connection, we impact ourselves and those around us by “paying it forward.”

Relating to others with civility, kindness, empathy, and compassion has a multiplying impact, causing positive emotional contagion. Plus, these are the building blocks for trust and deepened connection.

Try this:

• Perform random acts of kindness. These can be for family, friends, colleagues, or strangers and can be as small as smiling and saying hi as you pass someone on the street or in the hallway at work. Or, for Wambi users, send a Carepostcard to a colleague, telling them why you love working with them. You’ll make the recipient of the kindness feel great and will increase your happiness in the process!

Fostering connection, and consequently, our sense of belonging is easier than we think. Hopefully, some of the ideas shared here were helpful! Here’s a final thought as you go out to spread positivity: “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no person can sincerely try to help another without helping themselves.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

• https://wambi.org/the-gratitude-toolkit/
• https://www.edx.org/professional-certificate/berkeleyx-science-of-happiness-at-work
• https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/key
• https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_good
• https://www.positivityresonance.com

As our Product Evangelist, Mel brings over 13 years of experience to support the growth and development of Wambi’s sales team as they seek to help healthcare organizations create cultures of appreciation and kindness. She is committed to helping both her team and Wambi’s clients achieve their business objectives while living Wambi’s values of compassion, imagination, gratitude, fearlessness, and joy. Mel’s sales experience spans healthcare, technology, legal, and academic content solutions. She has been a consistent top performer and is most proud of her work fostering innovation, evolution, and team cohesiveness in each role. Mel grew up in West Michigan, where she still lives and enjoys running through the beautiful wooded dunes. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan. When she’s not exercising or spending time with her family, you can find her indulging in her love of learning about anything and everything.

• Connect with Mel on LinkedIn 
• Learn more about the Wambi platform