health-radio-header

5 Best Ways to Build Resiliency

From the Show: Health Radio
Summary: Why do some people bounce back from adversity and misfortune and others fall apart?
Air Date: 6/26/15
Duration: 10
Host: Melanie Cole, MS
Guest Bio: Erica Kosal, PhD
Dr Erica Kosal Although many hardships have come her way, Dr. Erica Kosal has used each one to learn and grow, becoming the resilience expert she is today. Just as her first child was learning to walk, Erica's husband became very ill. Over the next seven years they fought for his health, battled the health insurance company and unbelieving physicians. She survived an IRS audit, and gave birth to her second child.

As Dr. Kosal's husband became more ill with neurological chronic Lyme disease, she became the primary caregiver for him as well as their two children; all while working full-time as a biology professor. Erica's husband died in June of 2014. She now strives to help other widows and only parents along with educating others on the serious nature of Lyme disease.

Dr. Kosal is the blogger of Traveling Troubled Times, where she writes about her experiences and the strength of focusing on the good that can come from any situation. She is also the founder of Bounce to Resilience, designed to provide information and help to people experiencing extreme stress and adversity. Erica is also a public speaker on Lyme disease and inspiring people to take control of their own situation by adopting resilient strategies.

Erica is the author of the book Miracles for Daddy: A Family's Inspirational Fight against a Modern Medical Goliath. Her new book While You were Dying: 10 Life Lessons Learned is due out in the fall.
5 Best Ways to Build Resiliency
Resilience refers to your capacity to deal with discomfort and adversity, but it's not just a reactive skill set.

The same characteristics that make us resilient are traits that enrich our lives.

A long-term study of 99 Harvard men showed that the way people view negative life events (as fixed and unchangeable vs. temporary and subject to influence) predicted their physical health five — and even 35 — years later.

Resilience Expert Dr. Erica Kosal uses her own experiences to elaborate on how to be resilient and why you'll experience a greater level of happiness and contentment, better health, and a potentially longer life span when you do.

Dr. Erica Kosal shares the five best ways to build resiliency.