Basically, resilience refers to the ability of individuals or communities to overcome crises, learn from them and emerge stronger. It is not just about overcoming difficulties, but also about mobilising your own resources so that you can grow and develop in the face of challenges. Mental resilience plays a central role in this: it helps people to deal with stressful life circumstances, recover from setbacks and experience positive development despite adverse circumstances.
Resilience is a dynamic process that can be developed over the course of a lifetime. It is changeable and can be strengthened through experience and conscious adaptation. People learn to deal better with stressful situations by adapting their coping strategies and actively utilising their inner strengths.
The development of resilience is not just a passive process, but can be actively encouraged and trained. This is precisely the aim at reSAILience: we help people in health crises to develop their resilience and overcome life's challenges with greater strength.
At reSAILience e.V., we believe that positive and communal experiences are the key to building resilience. This is exactly where we come in: With our sailing trips, we want to embark on an adventure and have fun in the process. At the same time, the participants should benefit from a community of people who have had similar experiences. In this way, we create a space in which young adults can regain courage after a serious diagnosis or treatment, recharge their batteries and return to their everyday lives stronger than before.
When planning the trips, we attach particular importance to putting together crews made up of participants with similar diagnoses. On the sailing boat, we offer them a protected environment in which they can discuss difficult topics free from social stigma. This gives the participants the opportunity to learn from each other and at the same time positively influence the life experiences of others affected. This creates a powerful community on a seven to fourteen day adventure trip.
Many of those affected fall into a state of passivity through no fault of their own because the illness overwhelms them and those around them. It is often difficult for them to break out of the dynamic of resting and avoiding exertion in everyday life.
On the sailing boat they are freed from their usual worries and tasks. At the same time, they have to face the internal and external challenges of a sailing trip without the support of family and friends. The participants have the chance to rediscover their ability to adapt to a new life situation and thus strengthen their self-efficacy to a particular extent.
The unique nature experience of sailing enables people whose lives have changed substantially due to illness to feel carefree again. This feeling can help them change perspective, say goodbye to outdated life goals, and make bold new plans.
Just send us an email to info@resailience.org.
Kent, Martha, Mary C. Davis, Shannon L. Stark, and Laura A. Stewart. “A Resilience-Oriented Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Results of a Preliminary Randomized Clinical Trial.” Journal of Traumatic Stress 24, no. 5 (2011): 591–95. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.20685.
Linz, Svenja, Isabella Helmreich, Angela Kunzler, Andrea Chmitorz, Klaus Lieb, and Thomas Kubiak. “Interventionen zur Resilienzförderung bei Erwachsenen.” PPmP - Psychotherapie · Psychosomatik · Medizinische Psychologie 70, no. 1 (January 2020): 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-0830-4745.
