![](/-/media/feature/micrositesnewsandevents/staffnews/suzanne-chambers-460px.jpg)
Innovation in practice
News 24 JulyA message from Executive Dean of Health Sciences Professor Suzanne Chambers: Winter has so far been a season of future-thinking and action for the Faculty of Health Sciences.
05 October 2022
Share
October is mental health month and you’re invited to engage with this year’s theme: building resilience: communities and connections.
Recently, many words have worked their way into our everyday vocabulary, such as lockdown, isolation, quarantine, agile, and pivot to name just a few. One which has much resonance is resilience.
The Oxford Dictionary defines resilience as, “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, toughness. The ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity”. It’s this quality that will allow us to overcome obstacles, challenges, hardship, and adversity without being defeated by them.
Resilience is a quality that many of us unconsciously embodied to get through the challenges of the last few years, and it’s also the quality that will continue to carry us forward. Resilience is a word that will retain relevancy well beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Resilience is also a key focus during National Mental Health Month this October, focused on the theme of 'Building resilience: communities and connections'.
There are a lot of articles being written about resilience out of the pandemic through the lens of science and the unpacking of psychological and neural mechanisms. However, it’s a concept that has been at the heart of our spiritual traditions for a very long time. We read in the Bible: “God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love”. Taoism teaches us: “if you correct your mind the rest of your life will fall into place” and from the Bhagavad Gita we are reminded: “happiness arises from the serenity of one’s own mind”.
But are we born with resilience, or can we teach ourselves to be more resilient just as we can learn other skills through practice? The Stoic philosopher Seneca tells us: “everyone faces up more bravely to a thing for which [they] have long prepared for, … even being withstood if they have been trained for in advance."
Science supports ways to build and nurture our resilience through practises such as improving sleep, taking the time to unplug and recharge, practising gratitude and even the importance of socialising. Faith may also contribute to building resilience through aspects like the emotional support which worship may provide. Therefore, it stands to reason that the power to build resilience may already exist within us and can be honed just like any other new skill, through practice and perseverance.
This Mental Health Month, you’re encouraged to ask yourself: what lessons will guide you through the busy months ahead? What ‘resilience training’ will you use to sharpen your skills? How will you further develop your resilience to propel you forward into a new and beyond?
Want to focus on building your resilience? Look at our ACU resources and upcoming EAP courses to help you strengthen your resilience.
A message from Executive Dean of Health Sciences Professor Suzanne Chambers: Winter has so far been a season of future-thinking and action for the Faculty of Health Sciences.
From Monday 22 July to Friday 9 August, Service Central will be available for extended hours to support staff.
A message from Vice President Father Anthony Casamento csma: From 5 – 9 August we will celebrate Mission Week across our campuses. This is an opportunity for us to come together as a community to cele...
Are you going to be a grandparent soon? Did you know ACU offers personal leave for staff to care for their child or grandchild after birth or adoption?
Discover the learning and career development opportunities that are available online, including the brand-new leadership development program, 'The Edge Series'.
Join ASCILITE and become a member of one of Australasia’s most vibrant professional technology enhanced learning communities, with more than 2200 members from tertiary institutions across Australia an...
Phones will be removed from all classrooms over the mid-semester break, from 23 September to 27 September.
Include an additional survey item in the Student Evaluation of Learning and Teaching (SELT) survey for units that are offered in Professional Term 5 (202455).
Australia’s first five-time diving Olympian, a Kiwi gymnast and the woman who taught actor Chris Hemsworth to row will be among 15 ACU students and alumni to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Para...
A message from acting Executive Dean of Theology and Philosophy Associate Professor Richard Colledge: Recently, the faculty has hosted opportunities for reflection on the possibilities for reconcilia...
Are you on your parenthood journey? A practical guide is now available to support staff, and their supervisors, through the stages of becoming a parent and transitioning back to work.
Embark on an exhilarating journey into the mysterious world of enrolments. Register to attend an enrolment information session for Semester 2, 2024.
Join upcoming online workshops in preparation for Semester 2. Secure your spot today to learn how you can utilise Canvas and its features to enhance your teaching practices.
A limitless professional horizon awaits ACU students after its three IT programs were awarded certification by the nation’s most trustworthy player in the tech sector, the Australian Computer Society.
Following evaluation and voting by a panel of ACU judges, Co-Lab is delighted to announce Thomas Clark and Xavier Chalkley as the winners of the $1000 prize for the ACU Co-Lab Social Enterprise Pitch ...
ACU Library staff will participate in professional development activities on Thursday 18 July. While away from their usual posts, they'll be working together across three locations to plan our future ...
Applications for 2024 Teaching Development Grants, Citations and Awards are open. Explore guidelines and resources to enhance your teaching project’s impact or gain recognition for your contributions.
As we sit in this small window of the winter break gearing up for Semester 2, it's important to recognise that not everyone experiences this period as downtime. For many, workloads and busy lifestyles...
This week is NAIDOC Week, an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
ACU staff who are also members with UniSuper can now access free expert medical advice and services to support their health and wellbeing through MetLife 360Health.
Visit Service Central to access Corporate Services.