Üsküdar University Vocational School of Health Services (SHMYO) Occupational Health and Safety Department, in collaboration with the Young Kızılay Club and the Turkish Red Crescent Women's Kadıköy Organization, organized an event titled “Psychological Resilience in Difficult Times.” Clinical Psychologist-Psychotherapist Melike Büşra Hacıoğlu participated in the event. Hacıoğlu, emphasizing the effect of walking 20-30 minutes every day, stated: “This situation appears to be a factor that restores both the body and the mind.”
The opening speech of the program, held at Üsküdar University Çarşı Campus Beylerbeyi Conference Hall, was delivered by Dr. Lecturer Gamze Kağan, Head of the SHMYO Occupational Health and Safety Program.
Difficult times introduce us to good people…
Dr. Lecturer Gamze Kağan, Head of the SHMYO Occupational Health and Safety Program, stating that there are people experiencing difficult times all over the world, said: “Why did we talk about psychological resilience in difficult times? We are currently going through difficult times. Last year, as a country, we went through very serious difficult times. We see wars and oppression in the world, we observe them, and everyone has their own periodic difficult times. How do we cope with these processes? There are also processes of coping incorrectly and managing incorrectly. That’s why we chose this topic. Also, last year we volunteered for Kızılay during these difficult processes. Through that, we participated in various activities. During the earthquake process, as Kadıköy Kızılay, we built a warehouse. In that warehouse, our students and friends all worked together voluntarily day and night with great dedication. They say difficult times introduce us to good people. We also formed strong bonds during those times.”
Hacıoğlu: “What we call psychological resilience is, in short, the power to recover”
Clinical Psychologist Melike Büşra Hacıoğlu, stating that difficult times are not only due to negative reasons, said: “When we talk about difficult times, we usually mean bad things, but sometimes positive things can also bring difficult times. For example, let’s say you change jobs and get a promotion. This looks like a good situation, but it requires adaptation. Therefore, it can also bring a challenge, or marriage, a situation we desire to start a family, can also bring a challenge. Wars, pandemics, etc., these can be difficult situations where we witness our power being insufficient. What we call psychological resilience is, in short, the power to recover. It applies to all situations, positive or negative, that affect a person’s well-being.”
“We also felt alive with the help provided during the earthquake”
Hacıoğlu, speaking about the outcomes of the Maraş earthquake, said: “The earthquake, in a way, united us. We had become very divided. We are all trying to form a drop in a body of water. We are trying to create movement. With the help provided during the earthquake, we also felt alive. The help we considered small created significant impacts there.”
“Walking is very effective in restoring the brain and mind”
Hacıoğlu, stating that there are various ways to overcome difficult times, said: “Time management can be something that greatly empowers a person. Planning your life, knowing how much time you allocate to what, monitoring negative events, taking action and doing things—this could sometimes be studying, sometimes going to work, sometimes creating something new. Walking is very effective in restoring the brain and mind. It affects us positively psychologically. For both psychiatric and physical conditions, there is one single point that emerges in all of them; it even appears to be the only valid factor in Alzheimer’s. Walking 20-30 minutes every day is said to have an incredible effect. This situation appears to be a factor that restores both the body and the mind.”
The program ended after a group photo session.