Resilience is a dynamic attribute foundational to staying well. It is the ability to “adapt and thrive,” even during stressful, trying, and hurtful times. Resilience is an art and a biologic science. Resilient people use information, intention, and a calm awareness to build the skills that support them as they endure, recover, and then move on to continue to be fully engaged in life as much as they can. Anyone can build and strengthen their resilience. We are all adapting to a new kind of health and wellness culture even as we begin to emerge from the isolation that has defined the last year. You can cultivate resilience by using these basic skills listed below to support yourself as you negotiate this new normal.
Nutrition. Nutrients from certain foods fight inflammation, support sleep, improve cellular oxygenation and enable the proper functioning of brain and body. What we take in truly determines what we give out – energy and purpose. Take a good look at what sorts of foods you store in your fridge, cabinets, and pantry. Think back to what you ate yesterday and what you are eating today. Are you drinking enough water? Choosing fresh fruits and vegetables when possible? If you use canned vegetables, drain and rinse them if they are packaged in any salt solution (and most of them are). Look for darker fruits and vegetables, like the dark blue of blueberries and the dark green of kale, for the greater amount of antioxidants they contain. Avoid eating fatty, red meats like burgers, ribs and steaks, and introduce more fish such as tuna, cod, trout and haddock into your diet. Wild caught fish are full of antioxidants produced by their free swimming through long distances. These antioxidants not only fight inflammation, but support your body’s cellular healing.
Beyond your diet it is also important to consider other substances. If you drink alcohol, talk to your health provider about your alcohol intake. Too much can scar your organs, especially your liver, and inflame your esophagus and, yes, your lungs. If you use cannabis, again talk to your physician about the amount of THC, the psychoactive drug, that it contains. Cannabis is not regulated in this country which means the amount of THC that a cannabinoid contains can vary widely. Research also tells us now that large amounts of THC can affect your attention and sleep over time.
Exercise your body and mind. Give your body a daily workout or walk. Even a stretching, balancing, or movement exercise, or yoga in a chair, helps you maintain better reflex and reaction time. Your brain also benefits from daily exercise just as your physical body does. Brain exercise can be in the form of meditation, programmed focus from an app, or listening to music with intention, which means you are not multitasking. Meditation need only last a minute or it can be done intermittently throughout the day. Free meditation apps can be located on the web or the app store on your phone.
Do a daily self-audit. Taking a few minutes each day to check in with yourself can improve your concentration, generate calmness, and increase your sense of self-confidence. Do a mental and physical scan from your head down to your toes; flex your arms and legs, twiddle your fingers, open your mouth and eyes wide, take a deep, slow breath through your nose, then exhale out slowly through your mouth like you are blowing out a candle. This exercise, and other exercises like this, creates a sense of calm and purpose, helping you to stay grounded throughout your day.
Search for meaning in your life. Meaning in our existence, not entertainment or happiness, but a feeling of purpose, creates peace of mind and a clearer awareness of self that guides us through storms, illnesses, accidents, losses – all the “stuff” of life. If you know what your purpose in life is then you are probably cultivating your own resilience. If you do not know and are lost and looking, then begin a search for it by helping another human or animal, participate in a cause, or volunteer in your neighborhood. Work to get out of your own head for a small portion of the day and just contribute. The pay-off is often a sense of wellbeing, and a kind of pleasure that is lost to many who have been searching for it but cannot find it. This is pleasure that is sustainable and healing; it can guide you through the ups and downs of just living and keeps you intact as yourself, the person you are and were meant to be.
Social connection is another necessity in cultivating resilience. Examples of social connection are staying to make coffee for others after attending a religious service or educational workshop, working with a PAWS program while fostering an animal, or keeping in touch with an extended family who are out-of-state but not out of our hearts or minds. Helping others is the glue that keeps people connected with others. Try it and again you may feel a different kind of personal satisfaction and peace, both of which help keep your brain cells intact, and our body functioning.
As you start to cultivate your own resilience it is important to remember that, although the resilient person usually bends instead of breaking, sometimes the hurt is strong enough to cause a break. In that case, a resilient person heals, the scars are seen as souvenirs or remembrances, and the memories of good and bad times are intact and acknowledged as part of the journey through life. This is resilience and it is worth the time and work to cultivate it, to continue your journey towards and through life and your unique purpose in it.
If you are struggling to cultivate resilience in your life, working with a therapist can help. Cathedral Counseling Center’s licensed therapists are experienced in addressing a broad array of life stresses. To start, you can give us a call at (312) 252-9500 ext. 130.
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Deena A Nardi, PhD, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN is a psychiatric/mental health clinical nurse specialist, a psychotherapist, and early intervention specialist who also provides parenting support services. She works with people experiencing loss, depression, anxiety, disruption, or a need for change in their lives. Special interests include adult caregiving strain, substance abuse and addiction recovery, and boundary setting. She is a contributing author to several books and journals on health, healthcare, and healing. Her latest short story about working through COVID-19 appears in the just-published book, Nurses From Within: Nurses-Patients-Families-Doctors Share their COVID-19 Experiences.