Start with the basics. In times of stress, begin with making sure you are eating healthy food, staying hydrated, maintaining a regular sleep schedule, and exercising moderately to keep your body balanced. This may sound obvious, but there is a common misconception that the bigger the challenge, the bigger the solution needs to be. Simple self-care — while it may seem inadequate — is an essential first step. Otherwise, we’re exhausted and have impaired ability to respond to whatever comes next.

Resilience has been described as the ability to withstand adversity and bounce back from difficult life events. Conditions are not easy right now. How do we develop greater resilience to withstand the challenges that keep being thrown at us? In this interview series, we are talking to mental health experts, authors, resilience experts, coaches and business leaders who can talk about how we can develop stronger resilience to improve our lives. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeff Gorter, MSW, LCSW.