Building resilience in Singapore's youth

Youths today are facing unprecedented stressors. There is much focus on the detection of mental illnesses, along with the destigmatisation but we need to focus on building resilience in the young - whether or not they suffer from any mental health issues.

Resilience can be defined as the capacity of an individual to prepare for, withstand and adapt in the face of adversities. Youths can draw strength from the technique: I Have, I Am, I Can

I have:

• People around me I trust and who love me, no matter what

• People who set limits for me so I know when to stop before there is trouble

• People who show me how to do things right by the way they do things

• People who want me to learn to do things on my own

• People who help me when I am sick, in danger or need to learn

I am:

• A person people can like and love

• Glad to do nice things for others and show my concern

• Respectful of myself and others

• Willing to be responsible for what I do

• Sure things will be alright

I can:

• Talk to others about things that frighten me or bother me

• Find ways to solve problems that I face

• Control myself when I feel like doing something not right or dangerous

• Figure out when it is a good time to talk to someone or to take action

• Find someone to help me when I need it

It is still important to detect, diagnose and destigmatise mental health issues, but then we will always be behind the curve. There is a need to switch the focus and emphasis to that of building up one's resilience in order to stay ahead of the curve.