Building Resilience: for health and wellbeing
Resilience is the true definition of health. How well can you deal with the stresses of everyday life, adjust to changes in your environment, and how quickly do you come back to baseline? These are great marks of health. The question is, how can we create this resilience? In this article I hope to share some great ways of developing or maintaining health throughout your life. First, we’ll start with the basics of health and then talk about some modern science and ancient practices that you can incorporate into your daily lives.
Not to be too cliché, but the basics of living are the most important for health. This is because there are no short cuts or cheats to health. You must first take care of the the basics. Trying to do anything without incorporating the basics of health is like putting a fresh coat of paint on a wall that is crumbling. It may change the way it looks, but it’s still falling down.
So what are the basics of health: nutrition, sleep, movement, connection and processing stress.
Nutrition:
Nutrition brings the basic building blocks together in order to create your body. Again with some clichés, you are what you eat. What you consume becomes your cell walls, your DNA, the water that becomes your blood, the minerals that create your bones, etc. You are literally 75% water. You basically become a dried out prune with squeaky joints if you don’t drink enough each day. Divide your body weight in half and then drink that many ounces of water in a day. Your skin will look beautiful and you’ll immediately have more energy! Among many other benefits.
Sleep:
Sleep is essential. When you get less then 8 hours of sleep your body isn’t able to process your day, clean your blood, clean your brain, file memories into your long term memory, etc. There have been studies that have shown a link between metabolic syndrome and lack of sleep. (source) “Being awake for at least 18 hours is the same as someone having a blood content (BAC) of 0.05%. Being awake for at least 24 hours is equal to having a blood alcohol content of 0.10%. This is higher than the legal limit (0.08% BAC) in all states.” (Source)
Movement:
Movement is absolutely essential! When you don’t use it, you lose it! When astronauts go to space, the lack of resistance on the body causes very quick deterioration. Our bodies only do what we make them do. If you sit all day, your body molds to that position. When you move, your body becomes flexible and strong.
When we get stressed, our body releases hormones that allow us to fight, flee, freeze (then fight or flee), or faint. When we don’t use those hormones up they stay circulating in our blood and keep us on edge for longer than we need to be. Now imagine what’s going on when we are in stressful situations like a bad job with an intolerable boss, we have communication issues in our relationships, we obsess over bills that we aren’t sure we can pay. We constantly flood our systems with stress hormones which tear apart our bodies over time. And what do we do when we’re stressed? We sit in front of screens, drink, smoke, and sit. Unless you’re the lucky one who’s figured out movement helps mitigate stress. Movement (in a healthful way) helps to process the hormones of stress, flush the system, and recover faster.
Movement is also important for detox. When we sit still we essentially become backed up sewer systems. YUCK! All the biproducts of life sit around our cells blocking nutrients from flowing into the cells and the waste to flow out. When you move you pump the cardiovascular system AND the lymphatic system, and we sweat. This pushes fresh blood through the body, pushes old extracellular fluid from around the cells, and sweat carries waste out of the body. Exercise is like a refresh button for your entire body. This allows you to get more energy and it kicks on your body’s natural healing capabilities.
Connection:
Connection includes connection with self, others, with the earth, and with your version of the divine. In our modern age we push through everything ignoring the affects our actions have on ourselves, each other, the planet, all in the name of progress or achievement. We believe value lies in the number of hours we work, how many projects we complete, how many late nights we spend getting work done. But the reality is that this belief system is unsustainable and fundamentally flawed. The beauty of our value is that it is intrinsic. Love is a gift and is not something you can earn. It is given. And it’s time we start giving love to ourselves, each other, the planet, through reflection of the divine.
Our connections start with just being aware. And that can be a challenge in and of itself. Awareness can be painful. Numbing is a defense mechanism, especially in situations of trauma. (If you find that this practice of awareness is difficult and triggering, please seek the support of a close friend and a well qualified therapist. I recommend one that specializes in hypnotherapy or other trauma release modalities) Love begins with paying attention in a nonjudging and compassionate way. Where you put your energy is where you’ll see results so keep making attempts at healthy connection.
Spiritual Practice:
Spiritual Practice at it’s essence teaches love, regardless of what religion or spirituality you practice. Love is expansive. Fear and anger are constrictive. When we live in a way that is filled with compassion, love, and respect, we bring into the world the light of the divine. When you live through fear and anger you constrict and can only focus on what is immediately in front of you. The great spiritual awakening happens when we live through love and compassion and share our individual gifts with the world. Our spiritual practice allows us access to true wisdom and can help us deal with stress, feeling powerless or alone, and can help us create peace. It has been shown in many studies, and is used as a pillar of health in modern science and ancient practices from around the world.
Now on to the things that can supplement your resilience and make all of the above work harder and smarter for you.
Supplements:
To be perfectly honest our food sucks! It’s missing so many nutrients because our soils are leached, the mycelial (fungal) networks are broken, we ship things from around the world, there are poisons sprayed on pretty much everything, and we’ve genetically modified food out of recognition. And if you tried to avoid these things and buy organic, pasture raised, and local, it’s FREAKING expensive and often inaccessible to many people. In order to bypass a lot of the nutrient deficiencies that often plague more than 90% of the U.S. we can supplement with vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, etc. Now these are truly supposed to supplement our diets, but because of mutations in our genes and the sad state of our food system we may have to take these for the rest of our lives.
Common vitamins and minerals that people are often deficient in are:
Vitamin D
Omega 3s
Magnesium
B12
Folate
Calcium
Iron
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
I would ALWAYS buy from a reputable source. Big box stores, like Walmart or Costco may seem like a good deal, but many of them contain fillers and not much of the actual ingredients. Quick ways to tell if the supplements are reputable is to look at the ingredients list for fillers. Supplements are not regulated by the FDA and often don’t require testing. Some companies that I have used and trust are Thorne, Dr. Keesha’s line (they are guaranteed to be gluten free, organic, etc), Nordic Naturals, Jarrow, and Herb Pharm. Another way to see if the supplements you are getting are up to snuff, is to check for methylated ingredients, such as methycobalamin (vit B12) or methylfolate (folic acid/folate). This step helps you skip some difficult processes in your body and allows them to be very useful as soon as they are absorbed.
Herbal Supplements like Adaptogens or Nervines can be little miracle workers for us concerning adapting to the stress of daily lives! Adaptogens literally help teach you body how to respond to stress in a more efficient way. There are a plethora of adaptogens that are amazing. Some of my favorites are Ashwaganda, Tulsi and Reishi. (If you’re allergic to mushrooms don’t use Reishi.) Nervines are calming herbs that can help calm anxiety or help improve your sleep. Some help by relaxing the body and some help by shutting off the brain’s obsessive thoughts. I don’t usually recommend nervines during day time use unless they are less potent ones or you suffer from severe anxiety. Some of my favorites are Kava Kava (a strong muscle relaxer, analgesic especially great for mouth pain, and helps relax tension around speaking up for yourself), or catnip (yes the same kind you give your cat, although I would opt for better quality) is another muscle relaxing calming herb with a minty taste, and chamomile (great for calming and sleep, great for stomach aches, diarrhea, and tooth aches, safe for kids).
Being out in Nature:
Being out in nature is pretty much a miraculous way of healing the body, especially if you can get into the forest and bathe yourself in some water. There’s been tons of research showing that “forest bathing” boosts the immune system long after being outdoors. It has been shown to calm anxiety, help with lung congestion, and rejuvenates us at a deep level. Researchers have observed that being outside for at least 3 days is especially good for us. (Check out the “3 Day Affect” or “Nature Fix”) They’ve also seen that having moments of awe is really great for our hearts. It helps us increase our heart rate variability. This is basically how quickly and efficiently our hearts can react to our surrounding environment and then return to baseline. It’s a great resilience measure. Also, the more time we spend outside the deeper connections we make with our environment, create more value in the the earth and therefore more reason to protect her. And as an added bonus we get some free vitamin D. Make sure to wear mineral sunscreen to protect our waters and ourselves.
Practice Meditation:
Meditation can look like many different things. It is, at its essence, a break that you give yourself, in order to reconnect to yourself, to the world around you, and to the divine. It can be prayer, it can be through seated breathwork, visualizations, walking meditations, mindful movements, coloring, writing in your journal, etc. The point is to mindfully bring your awareness to whatever you are doing. There are plenty of meditation strategies that can be extremely powerful and life changing. Especially when practiced regularly. Because the benefits of regular meditation are really seen when you can’t practice. When times get dark. These tools become quick ways of regaining balance and resiliency.
Through mediation you can literally change the shape of your brain! Meditation increases parts of your brain wired for relaxation, higher order thinking, and connection. There have been links to increased immunity and so much more. The greatest gift of meditation is increasing your ability to adapt and become resilient to many of life’s stressors.
Here are some of my favorite meditation practices:
Creating a calm space (imagining yourself in a natural setting that you create in your mind)
Loving Kindness Meditation (sending love and kindness to yourself, to others, and to the entire world)
Breath work (using different breathing techniques, like alternate nostril breath to get into a meditative space)
Walking meditations (while walking pay very close attention to what’s going on inside and around you. This is extremely beneficial while outside.)
Mindful Movement Practices (Yoga, Qigong, Tai Chi. All link breath to movement and are amazing at helping you get into a meditative mindset)
The key to resilience on any level is to begin by listening. Your body speaks to you. Your emotions, sensations, urges, and pains are all ways your body, mind, and spirit communicate with you. Begin by learning to listen to yourself. The most simple tools I’ve found for this is mindfulness and meditation. I spend time listening and check in with myself daily. I’m learning to set healthy boundaries around work time, family time, and me time. When my body tells me it’s enough, I have to respect that and say enough. I am learning to speak the language of my body, mind, and spirit. It’s hard especially since we are taught from a very young age to avoid listening to ourselves and in turn to others needs and the needs of the planet. Building strength and resilience comes from this foundation.
With this foundation in place, you can then build. Cutting away excess and adding in all the good things that allow you to thrive and to blossom into the person you were meant to be. But remember there are no cheats and we don’t do this well when we’re alone. If you are interested in coaching or finding a support group, check out my work with me page to book a discovery call or you can try out the PathFinder’s Network!
