RTAs: Tyndall's future resilience

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Alex Echols
  • Air Combat Command Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Resiliency is a term frequently used in the Air Force. It is used so often that it becomes a word that many people say, but few take the time to reflect on what it truly means.

The Resilience Training Assistants program is working to change that.

Tyndall's newest RTAs attended a two day course at the Airman and Family Readiness Center June 12 and 13. The course was designed to teach them how to provide resiliency training within their individual squadrons.

"The goal is for every squadron to have two assistants [RTAs] to help facilitate resilience training in their squadron during Comprehensive Airman Fitness Days, during a commander's call or whenever their squadron needs them," said Corey Coleman, 325th Fighter Wing community support coordinator. "I think it is good to have someone in every squadron trained and ready to go. Every squadron is unique. The RTAs can relate more to the work stresses and the happenings of their squadron."

During their two days of training, the RTAs were taught by a Master Resilience Trainer with a mixture of classroom style slideshow lectures and hands-on activities, which the RTA can use in resiliency training they facilitate for their own squadron.

The Master Resilience Trainers go through a full two week course at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, which allows them to facilitate training for the First Term Airman Center and other formal settings as well as mentor and train the squadron level RTAs.

The Master Resilience Trainer Guidebook defines resiliency as the ability to withstand, recover and/or grow in the face of stressors and changing demands.

The training also teaches the key to being more resilient are the four pillars: mental, physical, social and spiritual.

"You need all four of those elements in your life, to keep your life balanced," said Jodie Schwartz, Airman and Family Readiness Center chief/Master Resilience Trainer. "You can't be successful in your personal or work life unless those four main components are receiving attention."

Each teaching block in resiliency training relates to the four pillars. Most blocks include more than one pillar because they are so closely related or intertwined.

The spiritual pillar means different things for different people, explained Schwartz. Some people strengthen their spiritualism by religion or meditation. There are other people who find their spiritual side through exercise. This combines the spiritual and physical aspects into one activity, and can be done with all the pillars.

This is what resiliency is all about finding that balance and connectivity.

The hope is everyone trained to use their resilience skills will be better equipped to manage the day-to-day stress of life as well as major hardships if they arise, Ms. Schwartz said.

"I think the best thing that comes out of this program is truly a self awareness," Ms. Schwartz said. "A lot of the techniques and ideas are not rocket science. It is just we are so busy we never take time to really think about it, to look at ourselves and realize how our actions impact ourselves and effect others."