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  1. Employee Resources
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  3. Persevere Under Pressure

Persevere Under Pressure

Release Date: March 30, 2021

Challenges and setbacks are part of our lives. The ability to rise above obstacles and overcome unexpected hardships is an important quality. While it isn’t always easy to muscle through life’s adversities, your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can help you navigate hard times and learn the skills needed to take on whatever trials tomorrow may bring

What It Means to Persevere

Perseverance involves being able to remain steadfast and determined and to move forward in the face of difficulty, obstacles, and discouragement. It also draws on resilience, the ability to recover from failure.

Some examples of perseverance include continuing to exercise amid a weight loss plateau, focusing on your academic strengths as opposed to dwelling on instances of disappointing academic performance, and staying determined to find your dream position despite a string of unsuccessful interviews during a lengthy job search.

How do you push through and move forward in spite of setbacks? Here are some tips for improving perseverance.

  • Believe in yourself: Before you can succeed, you must first believe that you can. Have faith in yourself and maintain a positive, optimistic attitude.
  • Give yourself time: Reaching goals takes time, often much longer and through more attempts than you might expect. Having patience makes achievement that much more rewarding.
  • Lean into failures: Your ability to deal with disappointment is one of the most important aspects of perseverance. Turn your frustrations into motivation to try again and view letdowns as opportunities to adjust and refine your strategy.
  • Maintain momentum: Seek positive reinforcement and encouragement. Celebrate your wins big and small, turn to supportive friends and mentors for advice and reassurance, and don’t give in to your internal critic when things go wrong.
  • Have the courage to quit: Not every plan or goal is a good one in the end. Sometimes the timing just isn’t right. Other times, a goal can become unproductive or may begin to negatively affect your physical or mental health. There’s no shame in recognizing when it’s time to set a plan aside or redirect your focus to other efforts.

Your EAP Can Help!

Licensed EAP counselors are available 24 hours a day to provide support, helpful resources, and expert guidance to help you navigate challenges and strengthen your resilience and perseverance.

The EAP is a voluntary and confidential employee benefit available to you and your eligible household members at no cost to you. For more information, contact your Component EAP, or send an email to worklife@hq.dhs.gov.

Last Updated: 03/30/2021
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