086: Jeffrey Zeizel | Get Boston Strong Resilience

While running the Boston Marathon, clinical social worker Jeffrey Zeizel had to call up all his expertise and coping mechanisms when a bomb went off at the finish line. His son was ahead of him and there was a chance he was caught in the fray. Though nobody would blame him for panicking, he immediately went into action administering psychological first aid reassuring others that the worst case scenario is not the most likely one and in the process helping himself to cope as well. Zeizel has a wellspring of insight on what it takes to be resilient and the good news for humanity is that, in short, it involves bringing all of our best qualities to the forefront. Lessons: 1. The last stage of going through grief is not really acceptance but developing the tools to cope. 2. Remember AAA: action alleviates anxiety. 3. It's easy to fulfill mundane responsibilities, but to do the things that give life meaning is difficult yet worthwhile. 4. To be resilient optimism is crucial but it must be tempered with a healthy dose of realism.