Scott Airmen attend resiliency training Published Feb. 1, 2012 By Airman 1st Class Jake C. Eckhardt 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Scott Air Force Base hosted resiliency training Jan. 19 at the Global Reach Planning Center on base. The session, for the members of Scott and their families, was intended to help people bounce back from a negativity bias and decrease suicide. Resiliency is the ability to recover from, or adjust easily to, misfortune or change. "I like the idea of being resilient," said Senior Airman Cassandra Darling, 375th Medical Support Squadron. "I've always seen myself as a pretty resilient person, but I wanted to come and get educated." Participants were taught how to understand why they react under certain circumstances and how to overcome counterproductive habits through the use of critical questions. Tech. Sgt. Christopher Wolf said, "Avoiding the thinking traps and putting things into perspective could help me. I should work on those because I think they could make me a better leader, follower and listener." Wolf works at the Air Force Network Integration Center. Several training blocks helped participants identify deep beliefs and core values that fuel out-of-proportion emotion, and tools to help improve optimism. Participants of the training were told to take a test to number their traits, such as courage, critical thinking and the ability to love and be loved. Darling said, "I am very optimistic and that was my top strength. I try to spread optimism everywhere I go. My bottom strength, however, is spirituality. I don't really go to church or anything, so as a whole, this list is pretty accurate." Other sections focused on how to respond to others with authentic, active and constructive interest to build stronger relationships. Wolf said he learned the importance of responding to people appropriately. "In one way you're building a relationship, but if you react in the other three ways you're slowly destroying it." Darling said, "Once I put another stripe on my arm, I could share this knowledge and use these methods with the Airmen I supervise, and this would also be helpful to at home with my husband." The six-hour training changed the views of some nonbelievers who attended the training. "I was skeptical," said Wolf. "I had been through it all. I have seen something similar to this a couple of times, but this training has great points to it and could really help if you applied it right." At the end of the training, the meaning of resilience varied for the Airmen. "No matter what, staying dedicated to the cause is what being resilient means to me," said Wolf. Darling said, "Being resilient to me means that no matter what happens, I won't let bad things get me down."