Photo By Kathryn Reaves | U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Richard Brown, 20th Fighter Wing administrative law NCO in...... read more read more
Subscribe
For some individuals, the most difficult struggles in life come one at a time, but for one Team Shaw Airman the hardships seemed to keep coming for a whole year.
While grieving the loss of his best friend in 2011, his challenges were compounded by a divorce.
However, Tech. Sgt. Richard Brown, 20th Fighter Wing administrative law NCO in charge, grew from his struggles of self-defeating thoughts and self-destructive behavior to overcome life’s challenges.
“Being resilient is simply being able to understand yourself and understand how your mind extrapolates information and creates your perception,” said Brown. “Your perspective and your behaviors are the things you can control in an effort to withstand adversity and stress, and grow from stress to manage your life.”
One type of behavior that can help people bring their attention to the present moment is the practice of intently performing actions that calm or clear the mind. By focusing on his mindfulness in 2011, Brown was able to break through stressful thoughts and situations to reach mental clarity. He did this by writing and performing music with a friend.
One song in particular, “Flood Waters,” was written about Brown’s journey on his downward spiral.
“I read it and thought, ‘this has got to stop,’” said Brown.
A friend, now his wife, expressed her concerns not long after his song’s lyrics brought him clarity.
“For everybody, it takes something,” said Brown. “For me, it took one person I truly cared about to say, ‘Hey, Rich, I’ve got a concern.’ A hundred people could have said the same thing to me and it wouldn’t have mattered. I would have said, ‘No, they’re overreacting.’”
Brown has since developed the skills in his resiliency toolbox to improve himself and help those around him.
After arriving to Shaw Air Force Base, he developed a reputation with his leadership for being outgoing. They thought he would enjoy being involved with the resiliency program on base, and Brown soon found himself at the resiliency trainer’s assistance course.
“As I was going through the course, I realized they were teaching the things I was trying to do myself when I was going through my really rough patch,” said Brown. “It vindicated my personal, spiritual recovery.”
He took every opportunity he could to assist with resiliency training until he had the opportunity to attend a master resiliency training course. After that, he felt as though he was a part of something bigger.
Brown said his favorite part of teaching is being able to positively impact the lives of others, even if it’s only one person per class.
Lacking resiliency while facing stressful situations can lead to self-defeating thoughts and behaviors, which can adversely affect the individual as well as the people around him or her. These destructive behaviors may include excessive alcohol intake, lack of sleep or isolation.
CareerCast, a job search website, evaluated the stress factors of 200 professions before determining the most stressful career of 2016 was that of enlisted military personnel.
Due to the high level of stress related to this lifestyle, properly handling stress is vital for military service members, family members, and Department of Defense employees.
In order to help combat stress, first term Airmen here at Shaw receive resiliency training at the First Term Airman Center from certified instructors, such as Brown. Airmen then participate in quarterly training highlighting individual skill sets from the tool kit.
Brown said by taking these courses seriously and keeping an open mind, people can learn about skills that will change their lives.
However, someone doesn’t become resilient just by listening.
It requires a deliberate change in behavior. By using resiliency tools to face daily stressors, people build habits they can use as a foundation to manage more stressful situations.
“People say it takes thirty days to build a habit,” said Brown. “By using these tools and finding a way for them to fit their lives, people can become more resilient, but they have to be open minded to it.”
Brown said he’s not perfect and the resiliency skills require constant practice from him, especially as a parent.
Several years ago, Brown believed his daughter was lying to him despite knowing she would be in more trouble if she did. Every piece of the puzzle pointed to one scenario, so he disciplined her by sending her to her room.
After his wife arrived home, Brown discovered he had been wrong.
“She said, ‘That wasn’t her. It was me,’” said Brown. “My head kind of exploded at that moment.”
Brown now uses the experience as a reminder of why it is important to try to understand all information accurately and use balanced thinking to avoid jumping to false conclusions. After all, responding to a situation incorrectly could affect important relationships.
In addition to his family, Brown said remembering the friend he lost contributes to his ability to remain resilient while facing tough times.
Although it took a while, his friend’s passing eventually brought him to a realization.
“Happiness is not a place on the map,” said Brown. “There’s always going to be bad. There’s going to be adversity, but you just keep digging. You keep moving on with your life and you find gold nuggets. That’s what Curtis’ death taught me. I’m not always going to be happy, but I’m not going to waste one second not pursuing happiness.”
Brown has several pieces of advice for people struggling with stress.
“The best thing I could tell other people is if you really do want to be better at dealing with adversity and have a less stressful life … if you took on this resiliency program and took it seriously, you honestly could change your life,” said Brown.
He then suggested people call upon those who keep them focused or to find someone, such as a mentor, leader or chaplain, to talk to. He also recommends slowing down one’s thoughts, so people can evaluate and rationalize negative feelings with different perspectives.
After he retires from the Air Force, Brown still plans to use the tools he’s learned from his past and as a resiliency trainer to pursue happiness.
“My main goal in the next few years is to retire and be in a position where I can be a good caretaker for my (disabled) wife,” said Brown. “Outside of my children, she’s the one I love the most; the one I really want to make sure is as comfortable as possible. That makes me happy. It really brings me joy to see her happy and comfortable. It seems simple, I guess, but I’m not a complicated person.”
He is also considering formal education to work as a counselor for people going through difficulties because he enjoys helping people through their challenges.
Because of the people who have helped and inspired him along his journey, Brown strives to help others during and after his time at Shaw.
“I have more daily stressors in my life now than I ever have before,” said Brown. “Because of the resiliency program and my determination to apply it, I feel so much better about my life than I ever have.”
| Date Taken: | 01.24.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 01.25.2017 16:18 |
| Story ID: | 221381 |
| Location: | SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Airman grows from adversity, helps others remain resilient, by Kathryn Reaves, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
