Building resiliency in ourselves

  • Published
  • By Col. Sharon Bannister
  • 436th Medical Group commander
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  During our most recent Air Force Medical Service Senior Leadership Conference in Leesburg, Va., it became quickly evident that one of the Air Force's highest priorities is finding ways to increase resiliency in our Airmen and their families.

Our Airmen are working extremely hard, here and while deployed, in order to keep our mission going. This, however, can often put additional stress on the Air Force's most critical asset--its people and their families. For those of us who are a little more "seasoned," we often talk about the "increased ops tempo." Bottom line, though, is that for most of our Airmen, this is the only tempo they've ever known. It is our responsibility to continue to find ways to keep our Airmen and their families healthy and happy. Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Charles Green, Air Force Surgeon General, has updated his priorities to align with the Air Force priorities. He let us know it is our responsibility to provide patient-centered care to sustain healthy and resilient Airmen and families.

As we complete the renovation of our clinic, you will notice changes in how we deliver care ... making it easier for our beneficiaries to have better access and continuity of health care. He also pointed out, however, that we are only one partner in helping to create this resiliency.

Yes, health is important in order for our bodies to be able to handle life's stressors, but it is only one of many important areas to concentrate on. We also need to ensure that we are exercising regularly and eating healthy balanced meals, staying spiritually satisfied, and making sure that we take the time to nurture our family relationships to strengthen our support systems. In order to help with this, Col. Anthony Krawietz, 436th Airlift Wing vice commander, and our Integrated Delivery System team have been working hard on ways to help our Airmen receive the tools they need to strengthen their resiliency. Though difficult to give their efforts justice in a short commentary, please get with your unit Comprehensive Airman Fitness representative to discover some of the opportunities for both you and your families in strengthening your personal capabilities.

What I'd really like to share with you, however, is a short story. For those of you who know me personally, you know I am passionate about helping our Airmen. It is equally important, however, to make sure we take an active role in helping ourselves. We need to not only receive the tools, we need to make sure we take them out of our tool box and put them to work. A month ago, I found out I was chosen to work with Col. Dwight Sones, 376th Air Expeditionary Wing commander, at Manas Air Transit Center leading the men and women of the 376th Expeditionary Medical Group. Since then, I've been frantically trying to get my deployment requirements completed, get the house and my finances in order, spend any available spare minutes with my beautiful girls, and still take care of our medical group Airmen and our more than 16,000 beneficiaries. I realized that in doing so some of the things that keep me strong each day had been put on a back burner. My workouts went from seven days a week to about four. My six hours of sleep a day decreased to about four (on a good night). My frustration level with Advanced Distributed Learning Service connectivity increased significantly. And finally, my to-do list didn't seem to be getting any shorter despite my "best efforts."

After going to our conference and listening to General Green's discussions, I realized I'd failed on my personal responsibilities to myself. This past week, I've turned that around. I've ensured that I made time for lunch, organized my schedule to fit my workouts back in, and found that by doing so, I was able to sleep better. Because of that, my time with my girls has been all smiles and laughs, and my to-do list has dwindled down to only a couple of more tasks (thankfully since I head out across the ocean in four days!).

The point of my story is that we all need to realize that we can have programs developed, fitness centers built, and base events planned and funded, but it is up to us to use those to ensure our individual health and happiness. Learn from my experience. We are all vulnerable. Today I am sitting on the couch with the cat typing...cup of coffee by my side, and the girls playing happily. I finally "found the time" to open my tool box, and amazed at how much better I feel. To all of you, have a happy Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Can't wait to come back to you all in May!