Resilience requires individuals to be mentally and emotionally mature in the face of adversity in order to adapt to and overcome challenging life conditions. However, resilience isn’t an inherent behavioural trait; it’s part of a skill set that requires hard work, strength, self-compassion and a desire to change for the better.
Those with a keen interest in psychology – like Jonathan De Vita, who enjoys exploring life’s complexities – understand the importance of building a resilience profile. Things like adversity, change and loss all impact the human psyche and can have devastating mental health repercussions if people don’t know how to react to them.
Building resilience is not a substitute for seeking professional help for mental health problems. However, developing and maintaining a positive psychological state requires the ability to cope with difficult situations in order to emotionally recover. Growth is not possible without negative pressure, so society often judges an individual’s resilience by how well they meet its expectations while experiencing hardship.
However, the relationship between resilience and mental health is far more complex than simply embracing a positive mindset. Research has shown that brain structure plays a key role in successful emotional regulation. The amount of grey matter present in your brain influences how well it can resist feelings of anxiety and neuroticism. The gut microbiome also plays a role in how well the body physically adapts itself to difficult situations, with high-resilience individuals typically having improved anti-inflammatory responses to stress.
The body and the brain are inextricably linked; however, their combined resilience is also influenced by environmental factors. Some of the most difficult situational adversities include:
- Living with a long-term health condition
- Having nobody to rely on
- Experiencing poverty and money troubles
- Being physically isolated from others
- Lacking safety and security
All of the above situations condition a person’s mental response. Barriers to resilience exacerbate poor mental health by making it more difficult to manage stress and make time for self-care. Rigid societal structures surrounding resilience make it harder for those experiencing overwhelming environmental factors to develop a positive mental state. Ultimately, greater resilience is key to improving poor mental health, but it’s impossible to overcome those challenging situations without healthy coping mechanisms and experience in overcoming setbacks. Resilience can become the strength that a person needs; however, many people with mental health problems lack the necessary outlets and support needed for successful mental health recovery.