2020 was stressful for everyone, but stress isn’t always bad. In fact, we need stress in our lives. It’s called eustress. Eustress gives us purpose and a reason to get out of bed every morning.
But stress can result in self-defeating behaviors that cause us to act in ways that are counter to our values and interfere with performance and relationships. That’s known as distress. Distress is not helpful in our lives. If traumatic enough, it can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder.
There is an opposite of PTSD; it’s post-traumatic growth. This happens when we go through a traumatic event (such as a pandemic!). But instead of hindering our performance and relationships, we actually get stronger than before the traumatic event occurred.
This is the true nature of resiliency and takes place more than you might imagine.
During the Vietnam War, our captured flyers were held in Hoa Lo Prison, also known as the Hanoi Hilton. They were treated harshly, denied basic care, malnourished and regularly tortured. If anyone had a reason to be distressed permanently, it might be them, but they were extremely resilient.
Here’s a few examples:
· Brig. Gen. Bud Day was recipient of both the Medal of Honor and Air Force Cross. After retiring from the Air Force, he resumed his law practice in Florida. He sued the U.S. government on behalf military retirees who lost their medical benefits and were forced into Medicare. Although he ultimately lost the case in 2002, it forced Congress to re-examine military retirement benefits and resulted in retirees getting TRICARE for Life.
· Navy pilots James Stockdale and John McCain were also very successful after returning from captivity. Stockdale (also a Medal of Honor recipient) ran for vice president in 1992 after serving as Citadel president and a fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford. McCain was probably the most recognizable POW, serving in the House and Senate, as well as being the Republican candidate for president in 2008.
· Air Force Col. Sam Johnson was the cellmate of John McCain. After returning to civilian life, he established a successful homebuilding business. If that wasn’t enough, he went on to get elected not only to the Texas House of Representatives but also the U.S. House, where he served 13 full terms.
These are just a few examples of resilience demonstrated by the 591 Americans who survived the Hanoi Hilton.
They all have different stories but were united by one purpose: to return with honor. Many wrote books about their time in captivity that are extraordinary tales of how they managed to stay alive and resilient.
A worldwide pandemic and extended stay at the Hanoi Hilton are two very different things, but there may be some similarities we can learn from.
The world the POWs left before capture was very different from the world they returned to after their release. They were unware of the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy or men walking on the moon. They missed countless birthdays, anniversaries and passing of loved ones.
Still, they endured, learned and grew from their misery.
We are about to enter a world that is different from 2019 and 2020. We don’t know what the world has in store for us, but we can certainly use the Comprehensive Airman Fitness domains and tenets to learn from our adversities. Perspective, purpose, perseverance and core values are the spiritual domain tenets.
I challenge you to put 2021 in perspective, find purpose in your day-to-day life, persevere through changes you can’t change back and live through YOUR core values.
That’s resilience in action, not a buzzword.