• Building Resilience: Enjoying the Life You Deserve:)

    Building Resilience: Enjoying the Life You Deserve:)

    How do we build resilience and enjoy a better life without having to hugely revamp our lives? is it possible? Yes. Let us look at this a bit closer in light of what some other experts say too…. It seems there is more than a bit of hope here.:)

    We are increasingly hearing about cognitive and physical resilience and, in the process, about what we call neuroplasticity. As human beings, we all have the ability to respond with some degree of resilience and handle stresses without significant long-term damage to our body and brain. That is good news.

    Even better news is the fact that there are some ways we can increase resilience and neuropasticity so we can function better in the face of the many stresses and demands most people face on a daily basis in their lives. When people already have compromising physical or cognitive conditions that make it harder to cope (e.g., persistent pain, cognitive disorders, inflammatory disorders, blood pressure/cardiac issues, diabetic/blood sugar issues), having this type of resilience is even more important. So, let us look at some key ways to increase resilience and neuroplasticity. These are not listed in any particular order of importance.

    The first is likely no surprise, but one of these ways is to exercise or get good balanced physical activity. In a healthy and balanced way in our lives, it is important to note this also includes sleep. Balanced healthy activity levels including exercise and good sleep collectively increase what we call BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor), which is in turn associated with numerous health benefits overall and certainly cognitive benefits. We often hear BDNF referred to now related to epigenetics, resilience, the ability to recover or heal from injury, etc. even throughout our entire adulthood (Smith, & Williams, 2015). So, even after birth and throughout the entire lifespan, there is hope for repair, positive development, increased resilience, etc. for everyone.

    The second is much related to these factors, and that is our nutrition. What we drink and eat both affect our ability to cope physically and process cognitively. Most people notice at some level how much this is the case in their lives, but at the same time don’t see how easy making simple changes can be that improve their lives considerably. Check out our resources page for some healthy food and drink options to help make that one simple thing you want to change this month so much easier.:) Remember: even 12 small changes over the course of a year can lead to a dramatically improved life!:)

    If the first two mentioned here were not a surprise, then the final one you have probably already guessed- yes, chiropractic. For instance, the work of Lelic et al. (2016) reminded us recently as have many others that there has been “a growing body of evidence to suggest that neural plastic changes occur following chiropractic spinal manipulation.” In English?…. Chiropractic works. It has been shown to help improve our ability to be resilient physically and cognitively.  It can be notably helpful in improving our resilience to cope with life challenges, stresses, etc.

    That said, if we believe these things cannot change, and we are simply at the mercy of whatever treatment might be available to us to help us with diagnosed diseases, it would seem people are simply stuck with not being resilient and not experiencing more optimal living. Is that really the case? Yet, what if there really is hope in this area too? So much of what we know about physiology in general, physical/cognitive resilience, neurogenesis specifically, and even nutrigenomics (or the way our nutrition affects our genes) would suggest powerful changes people can make in their lives when they simply choose wisely and take committed action to change.

    What if there really is hope for a better life, and there really are some simple solutions? So much of what we know about physiology in general, physical/cognitive resilience, neurogenesis specifically, and certainly nutrigenomics (or the way our nutrition affects our genes) would suggest powerful but simple changes people can make in their lives when they simply choose wisely and take small committed steps toward experiencing a better life with more pleasure, hope, and happiness.

    The good news is that these steps can be rather simple. Consider what just getting a bit more sound sleep, drinking a bit more clean water, or making one small alteration in what you eat/drink might do. Alternatively or in addition to one or more of those things above, set up an appointment with us to follow-up and talk with us about some simple things you can do to embrace a more pleasurable and long-term meaningful life. Enjoy a free initial consultation too if this will be the first time at our office. Just call us now at 260-493-6565 .

     

    References

    Lelic, D., Niazi, I. K., Holt, K., Jochumsen, M., Dremstrup, K., Yielder, P., Murphy, B., Murphy, B., Drewes, A., & Haavik, H. (2016). Manipulation of dysfunctional spinal joints affects spinal joints affects sensorimotor integration in the pre-frontal cortex: A brain source localization studyNeural Plasticity, Volume 2016. Retrieved from https://www.hindawi.com/journals/np/2016/3704964/.

    Smith, M., & Williams, S. (2015). Gene genius. Harlequin Mira. North Sydney, N.S.W.

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