In order to deal with difficult situations of ‘stress’ and adversity, certain prerequisites are required.
Healthy eating, regular physical activity, and adequate and restful sleep are the key most important basis for resilience. Here are three points that are important:
- Nutrition
- Move
- Social interaction
1. Nutrition:
Body and soul are not independent units, and not only our physical but also our mental health is inextricably linked to these factors. Most people know that nutrition has a major impact on our physical health.
However, the extent to which nutrition also affects our psyche is less known. Studies in mice whose intestinal flora had been manipulated by researchers have shown that they are not only associated with being overweight and the associated risks for diseases such as cardiovascular disorders and diabetes, but also with that mental well-being.
Humans also have a complex interplay of nutrition, intestinal bacteria and resistance to stress. Our intestinal flora is sensitive to environmental influences: what we eat, how much exercise we do, what medication we take, how much stress we experience – all of which influences which strains of bacteria are present in our intestines.
We can best influence this with nutrition. For example with the so-called Mediterranean diet: as much vegetables, fish and fiber-rich whole grain products and little sugar as possible.
This leads to a reduced amount of cortisol and inflammation markers in the blood. fermented foods are also very healthy. Systemic inflammation increases the risk of developing depression and anxiety disorders.
A sufficient supply of nutrients and vitamins is essential for psychological resistance.
2nd movement:
Studies have shown that physical fitness also has a positive effect on our mental health and resilience. Regular physical activity acts like a stress buffer. Those who are fit have less cortisol in their blood at rest and show a lower increase when a stressful event occurs, even if it is ‘only’ a psychological stress factor. Fitness is also important and healthy for the brain.
Exercise not only trains our fitness, but also our stress system. As with strength training, the body needs both regular exposure and sufficient recovery phases in between for this training of the stress response . It doesn’t have to be a 5 km run, it can also be just cycling, swimming or hiking. The balance of exertion and well-being after the movement must not be too out of balance. Sauna is also healthy because it improves cardiovascular health.
3. Social interaction:
Support and closeness are essential. Community makes you strong, keeps you young and healthy. Physically as well as mentally. The positive influence of social interaction can be seen in regions where people are particularly old. These include Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy and Icaria in Greece.
In summary:
Adversity and challenges are part of every life. For this reason, everyone should have strategies on how to manage them best.
An often neglected but central point in this context is the unity of psyche and body. Stress and trauma are always physiological processes, and resilience is no different. We can strengthen our psychological resistance through reflection and psychologically based exercises. These are even more effective if we combine them with a healthy lifestyle that meets our natural needs.
Those who know the biological needs of the human organism and meet them always strengthen their own psyche. Our need for closeness, for belonging to a social community that does not subside in adulthood, is a biologically given need.
