Resilience through positive psychology

The author is Teacher III at Mexico National High School Renerose C. Pablo

Resilience, the ability to bounce back from misery or hardships, was the main focus of a webinar series, TAYO Naman! (Tulong, Alaga, Yakap at Oras para sa mga Tagapagtaguyod ng Edukasyon) initiated by the Department of Education and Globe. Titled “Resilience Through Positive Psychology - Emerging and Keeping Up with Adversities,” the webinar focuses on the valuable trait of Filipinos as a resilient people in the face of crisis and adversity. According to the Philippine Mental Health Association, resilient individuals not only recover stronger from a crisis but often also find meaning in the experience and make sense of the hardship. During the webinar, it was discussed how educators can cultivate resilience in themselves and also tackled the different factors that can affect their mental health during the pandemic. The role of using Positive Psychology was highlighted in developing resilience. Positive psychology is the study of happiness and optimal functioning and it helps individuals, communities, and societies thrive and flourish. Educators learned that positive psychology is highly connected with resilience because when we talk about resilience, we talk about resistance and recovery from distress. We cannot stay long with the negative feelings that go with stress or disasters in our lives, according to the PMHA. Resilience however is not about toxic positivity, which is the denial that negative emotions exist and should not be felt. Human beings are both capable of feeling positive and negative emotions, but all emotions are fleeting. The lecture to educators ended by giving them four strategies on how to develop resilience: Increase positive emotions through the practice of gratefulness; Strengthen relationships and develop a support system of friends and loved ones; Create meaning out of negative experiences by having the power to choose whether the meaning gives hope or causes sadness; and Think of things that one has control over, focus on thoughts that would cause less sadness and anxiety, and tune out those that are not helpful. TAYO Naman! is an online Mental Health and Psychosocial Support program designed to help teachers, non-teaching personnel, and parents learn about self-care, wellness, and resilience. The 14-part webinar series is led by the DepEd Disaster Risk Reduction Management Service (DepEd-DRRMS) and the Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development-Employee Welfare Division (BHROD-EWD) in collaboration with Globe’s Global Filipino Teachers Series on Psychosocial Support Services, Philippine Mental Health Association, and MAGIS Creative Spaces.