The Army expects a Soldier to be morally responsible and law abiding A Soldier who is socially fit is accepting of other peoples’ beliefs and lifestyles A socially fit Soldier maintains basic living skills that promote a positive influence and contribute to their military and civilian communities Social (Self Awareness) - July What is Social Fitness? Leader: Discuss these expectations with your Soldi ers

Citizenship – Soldiers should be law abiding citizens Community – The Soldier should be a respected member of the community Healthy Relationships – A Soldier should maintain professional and appropriate relationships with other Soldiers in the unit Role Model – A Soldier should embody the Army Values Personal Courage – The strength to do what is right, to adhere to a higher standard of personal conduct, to lead by example, and to make tough decisions under stress and pressure Respect – A Soldier is open in communication and practices empathy that involve treating people justly Social (Self Awareness) - July The Components of Social Fitness Leader: Discuss these expectations with your Soldiers

Unhealthy behaviors show a lack of RESPECT for one’s self, others and their cultures or beliefs: – Easily influenced by negative trends – Poor language choices and attitudes that are antisocial or disrespectful – Breaking laws, regulations and protocol – Over-indulgent behavior or compulsive desires – Reclusive or isolative behaviors – Poor self-esteem resulting in feeling inferior to others – Lying and lack of INTEGRITY – Lack of interpersonal skills – Being selfish – “Backstabbing” Social (Self Awareness) - July Unhealthy Social Fitness Behaviors Leader: Review unhealthy behaviors with your Soldiers

SSG Grit is the supply SGT at your Company. He has an overly abrasive attitude and frequently clashes with members of the unit to include the chain of command. He is highly knowledgeable in his position so he is often given more slack than is afforded to other members of the unit. At the FRG Holiday party SSG Grit is approached by PFC Graves who wants to turn in equipment. SSG Grit explodes saying, “why do I have to do everything around here?!” Social (Self Awareness) - July Unhealthy Social Fitness Scenario Leader: Read the following scenario

Bottom Line Up Front: Stressful events can cause positive or negative reactions. One way to better understand our reactions is to analyze our thoughts. A method of doing this is through the ATC Model. Social (Self Awareness) - July Scenario – The Problem Leader: Ask your Soldiers what they perceive the problem to be (open discussion – 2 minutes) Activating Event The trigger: a challenge, adversity, or positive event Consequences: ER E: Emotions – what you feel R: Reactions – what you do Thoughts Your interpretations of the Activating Event; what you say to yourself in the heat of the moment. Can be productive or counterproductive.

Page 6 Social (Self Awareness) - July Scenario – “ATC Model” Leader: Have Soldiers identify the activating event in the scenario. Then discuss some thoughts that SSG Grit may have had. Finally, talk about what emotions and reactions came from those thoughts. Activating Event: PFC Graves interrupted SSG Grit’s meal asking to turn in equipment. Thoughts: “Why is he bothering me while I am eating?” Consequences: E: Anger/irritation R: Yelling

The “ATC Model” helps us to identify patterns in our thinking that make us weaker or decrease performance. Identifying your heat of the moment thoughts about an event and the consequences of those thoughts gives you greater control over your emotions and reactions. An individuals views, perceptions, genetics and beliefs play a large role in influencing whether they think an event is stressful or not. It is easy to get lost in the moment. ATC can help you slow down, step out of the moment and evaluate if your thoughts are helpful or harmful. Social (Self Awareness) - July Scenario – “ATC Model” Leader: Ask how SSG Grit can benefit from using the ATC model. If the conversation runs dry, discuss how evaluating his thoughts will give him greater control over how he reacts to similar situations in the future. This process will make him a more effective Soldier.

ATC builds upon the competency of self awareness by slowing the process down and separating what happened (activating event) from what we said to ourselves about it (thought) from our feelings and behaviors (consequences). You can be a more effective Soldier by being aware of your thoughts, feelings and reactions because some thoughts, feelings and reactions hinder effectiveness and others enhance effectiveness. It is critical to be aware that certain situations trigger strong emotions that are hard for you to control. Certain behaviors like being aggressive can be positive in some situations but negative in others. Self awareness allows us to use emotions when appropriate. Social (Self Awareness) - July Self Awareness Hunt the good stuff: Positive people think positively. Focusing on positive experiences leads to an optimistic way of thinking. Encourage your Soldiers to share a positive experience that they have had since last drill. (Open discussion)

How can the ATC model help SSG Grit? – It can help him identify patterns in his behavior and evaluate if those patterns are helpful or harmful. REMEMBER ACE * (any stressful situation can lead to suicidal behavior) – Ask if he understands his role in the military and what is expected of him – Care enough to assist the Soldier in explaining good choices and integrity – Escort the Soldier to success by motivation and caring DO YOU HAVE AN “ACE” CARD? *Though this is not a life threatening situation we can never be certain. The ACE model helps us to get information and assist the Soldier so that this issue does not become an unmanageable situation. Never assume that everything is good to go until you have checked. Social (Self Awareness) - July Scenario – Battle Buddy Aid Leader: Ask about responsibility of Battle Buddies and how they can assist in the situation and review ACE

Social (Self Awareness) - July Healthy Social Fitness Behaviors Leader: Ask your Soldiers to think of good social fitness habits Healthy behaviors demonstrate RESPECT for one’s self, others and their cultures or beliefs: – “Standards and Discipline” – follow laws and regulations – Be honest, candid and maintain personal INTEGRITY – Be sensitive to others – HONOR commitments to Family, fellow Soldiers and unit – Practice RESPECT of others – Show RESPECT for the beliefs, opinions, property and space of others – Have PERSONAL COURAGE to act on behalf of others when they do not have the ability or the capacity to act on their own – Know your community and your responsibilities – be a good citizen – Develop a confident, positive attitude

NYARNG Family Programs Office, (877) or – Director of Psychological Health (DPH), (518) – Military Family Life Consultant (MFLC), (518) – Military OneSource (NYARNG Representative), (518) – Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC), (518) State Chaplain’s Office, (518) Military OneSource, (800) or Vets4Warriors peer support line, (855) / (855)VET-TALK, Social (Self Awareness) - July Available Resources Leader: Reviews available resources and remind Soldiers that seeking them is not a sign of weakness but part of fitness