The concept of resilience may seem abstract and at times romanticized to a fault. But at its core and in the practical side of looking at things, resilience is a skill that can be honed and improved through some simple and time-efficient practices that we can easily integrate into our day-to-day.

Back on Justice Clearinghouse is Wendy Hummell, a 24-year law enforcement veteran who started her career as a Special Agent with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and retired at the rank of Detective. With her experience in the profession, Wendy is dedicated to helping First Responders learn about mindfulness and resiliency, and how exercise, sleep, nutrition, and our relationships can improve individual and organizational  productivity and wellness.

This session’s discussion includes:

• The origins of the term resiliency, its roots in the ancient philosophy of Stoicism, and what it means and how it is created and practiced in our current environment.
• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and how it impacts an individual’s ability to handle adversity and demonstrate resiliency.
• The hero’s journey narrative that demonstrates how we must change and create healthier habits to overcome challenges and become better versions of ourselves.
• How habits are formed and how we fail or succeed in our habits based on the identity that we see and associate ourselves with.
• The three-step method to creating lasting habits by focusing on the what and the why and using an anchor statement to remind ourselves of these.
• The concept of Kaizen that focuses on small, incremental, and doable changes that accumulate towards slow and steady improvement.
• The importance of keeping things simple to change behavior by being specific on the goals that we want to achieve and creating an environment, emotional state, and routines that support the new habit.
• The importance of understanding resilience as something that requires a holistic approach and the habits to incorporate in one’s life addressing the four pillars of resilience.
• How the amount, frequency and time of our meals, and habits surrounding our consumption of food impact our bodily functions and ultimately our mindset and resiliency.
• The role of a consistent bedtime aligned with the natural circadian rhythm in the reduction of risk for health conditions and enhancing wellness and resiliency.
• Tips and habits to improve our sleep intelligence and support resiliency and overall wellness.
• Mindful activities to start the day right and prime our days for success.
• The value of physical activity in supporting our physical and mental health which consequently allows us to be resilient in the face of adversity.
• Taking the time to sit in silence that allows the brain to hold space and help us process the things we think and feel through the prefrontal cortex instead of the amygdala.

Questions from the audience are about:

• Apps that can support these lifestyle changes towards resiliency.
• The relationship between our eating habits and resiliency.
• How staying up beyond 10 pm, regardless of the activity we’re partaking in and the length of sleep we have impacts the production of stress hormones.
• How intermittent fasting and spacing between meals allow the body to reset and optimize digestion.
• How shift-workers can integrate the habits and trying to work within the regular circadian rhythm.
• The value in napping.

Other Webinars with this Speaker

• Apri 6: Understanding Compassion Fatigue for First Responders and Criminal Justice Professionals
• July 13: Improving Resilience in 5 Minutes a Day (this webinar)
• Sept 16: Resiliency for Women

Handouts and Resources

• YouTube Video: ACES
• The Stoic Cop: Policing through Stoic Virtue by Bill Mauro
• Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology and How You Can Heal by Donna Jackson Nakazawa
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Documentary: Fasting

Audience Comments

• “Most valuable: Don’t bite off more in a habit change than what I can realistically handle. 1% change is good enough to spark the change. I tend to “go all in” and changes don’t sustain very long. This was an awesome webinar.” — Aspen
• “I found the first part of the Webinar best. The part about stoicism and then changing your image through changing your habits. The second part on eating and sleeping were obvious but good reminders. I was having a challenging day at work and I am so grateful for this webinar. Thank you, Wendy.” — Andrea
• “I am so glad she told the audience to “underwhelm” yourself. A doable goal works so much better than an unreachable dream.” — Barbara
• “I like the tips.” — Michael
• “I found this webinar to be very informative. I learned about the benefit of sleep although you hear it all the time the way Wendy applied it to the work we do was eye-opening! Thank You!” — Daunielle
• “Tips about making gradual changes of habit, the holistic approach to resiliency and resources such as books, podcasts, etc. FANTASTIC webinar!! I’m looking forward to this presenter’s September webinar! Thank you. “– Lisa
• “This webinar was fantastic! One of the best you’ve had! I think self care is a taboo topic for people in law enforcement, so the more similar topics, the better! It helps start the conversation and the more people see similar topics, the more willing to accept self-care they may be.” — Lauren
• “I enjoyed the conversation about health aspects.” — Scott