Resilience – the power of resistance that lies within you!
When stress bounces off you
Resilience is a term we’ve been reading about frequently for the past few years. It comes from the Latin verb “resilire,” which means to bounce off or not to cling to. In psychology, resilience is the ability of People to respond to crises and problems in such a way that they do not collapse but emerge stronger. A good current example of resilience is the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley in 2021: Instead of complaining, People spat into their hands and helped each other – an unprecedented solidarity that had a contagious effect and led to thousands of helpers from all over Germany traveling to the Ahr Valley to help with the reconstruction.
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Complementary medicine complements conventional medicine
Where resilience comes from is the subject of much research. It is probably one of many measures to ensure the survival of our species. At the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, there has even been an independent Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research since 2014. Here, researchers are trying to understand how resilience develops and how it can be promoted. There is, for example, the “Resist Cancer” project, which is intended to help sustainably increase the resilience and quality of life of young People up to 49 years old who have cancer. We naturopaths from the Naturheilzentrum Bottrop think this is a great cause. Because with our complementary therapies for cancer, we have exactly the same goal: to increase the well-being and thus strengthen the inner resistance! This approach is also followed by the naturopaths of the Naturheilzentrum Bottrop. After all, this corresponds to the complementary therapies for cancer at the Center for Naturopathic Treatment: To increase the well-being and thus support and strengthen the inner resistance!
Most People are resilient
The Mainz researchers wanted to know, among other things, what People’s resilience was like during the Corona pandemic. Their studies showed that about two-thirds of all People went through the pandemic resiliently, i.e., psychologically not overly stressed. So resilience seems to be fairly common. Older People, by the way, are much more resilient than young People – suggesting that resilience can be learned and trained over the course of a lifetime.
Five steps to resilience
The American Psychological Association (APA) has developed a roadmap to train for resilience. They compare working out to going to the mudroom to build and tone muscle: It takes time and focus to make it work. Here are the five steps:
- Build networks
Together with People who are understanding and trustworthy, any crisis is easier to shoulder.
- Take care of your own wellbeing
“Selfcare” is the magic word – or “health is what you make it.” It doesn’t take much to build resilience – for example, eating healthy, practicing meditation techniques and yoga, and avoiding negative stress relievers like alcohol and drugs are already a good start.
- Giving meaning to life
Helping others, whether volunteering or when a friend is in need, boosts self-worth and connects with others – and that trains resilience! In addition, it is better to focus on achievable goals rather than trying to make the impossible possible.
- Think positively
Accept that change is part of life. Stay hopeful, even if things aren’t going according to plan right now. Learn from your past: what has helped you in other stressful situations? Maybe it will help now.
- Seek help
While some People can always draw strength from themselves, others eventually reach their limits. Instead of standing still, it is better to seek professional help – from a psychotherapist or in a support group. It is important to realize that you are not alone in your struggle!
We at the Naturheilzentrum Bottrop know another very useful step: we all need to return more to old values such as trust, honesty, Humanity and mindfulness. True to the proverb: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!” Learn more about this in our video blog on YouTube on the topic “Values in everyday life” ..
Online Training
For anyone interested in resilience training, the Mainz researchers have developed a free online course. It is called “Aufkursbleiben kompakt” and covers several aspects in four chapters to strengthen your resilience: You’ll learn interesting facts about stress, get lots of tips on restful sleep, and learn how to think and act like a cheerful Person!
