Columbus Air Force Base joins inaugural mental fitness training
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Mental health is a crucial factor in life, particularly when navigating high-stress situations.
And high-stress situations are common in the military.
Columbus Air Force Base is helping those who may experience mental health challenges with an innovative mental health fitness training.
The armed forces require members to maintain their physical conditioning, but a mental edge is also necessary to perform in high-stakes operations.
That’s why personnel from Columbus Air Force Base are taking part in mental fitness training at the Trotter Convention Center.
“We offered up a full day, we stood down flying for the day because it is that important,” James Blech, Columbus Air Force Base 14th Flying Training Wing Commander, said. “We’ve got the world-class facilitators with the Warrior’s Edge program that’s really tailored to these types of individuals that have to operate at this level.”
The inaugural training event demonstrates the Air Force’s commitment to combat readiness, developing cognitive resilience and mental toughness throughout service members’ careers.
Psychologist Nicole Davis said she takes pride in speaking about mental health.
“Particularly talking about mental health for this population feels like a privilege to me as a civilian, as someone who represented our country in the Olympic games,” Dr. Nicole Davis, 2-time Olympian, said. “It’s not lost on me, the sacrifice is there daily, for our military members, and the lack of resources in this regard that they have at scale. So that feels like a really special moment to be doing this work with this population.”
Warriors Edge methodologies put on the course.
The program was created by former military personnel, sports psychologists, and even a Super Bowl-winning head coach, Pete Carroll.
Those who took part in the training event said it was a time to reflect on the mindfulness shown in the career.
“For a lot of them, this is the first time they are kind of really learning and testing themselves in a challenging environment and really figuring out how they navigate stress and get to the other side of it so they can have more moments of thriving and celebration for accomplishing things they didn’t think they could do,” Dr. Jannell Macaulay, Retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel said.
“We spent so many days asking them or so many moments asking the airmen, and then when they feel invested or they really get to have the opportunity to where we are giving them the toolsets for them to be successful, you see that they can respond,” Blech said. “They can take that breath and reflect on what’s important to them and how they are going to perform moving forward.”
More than 600 students took part in the training.
