Physical health is one of the five building blocks of resilience. When we have a strong community around us and work to keep our bodies functioning well, we can heal better, handle stress more effectively, and live as God intended.
As we’ve discussed before, resilience is the ability to heal after trauma, handle stress well, and thrive even when we face adversity.
There are five building blocks of this important ability. They are:
- Mental health: Conforming your mind to the truth
- Physical health: Having good friendships and taking care of your body
- Spiritual health: Regular prayer and reception of the sacraments
- Virtue: Striving to live virtuously and uproot vice
- Vocation: Striving to live out your calling(s) from God
These five building blocks of resilience aren’t independent of one another. When we struggle in one area, it can drag down the others, and ultimately, our resilience.
In this article, we’ll discuss how physical health impacts the other four building blocks of resilience. This is the second article in a series discussing how each building block of resilience affects the others. You can read the first article here.
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How Physical Health Impacts Our Mental Health
Caring For The Body
First, proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise are essential for regulating the nervous system and the stress response. When our nervous systems and stress response aren’t properly regulated, it can negatively impact our brains and thoughts, and even cause mental health disorders.
Second, I have personally found that when I care for my body, I have an easier time believing and remembering that my body is a gift and I am loved by God, because I am stewarding that great gift. At times when I have struggled with caring for my body, it has been more difficult to remember this truth.
Virtuous Friendships
The people we surround ourselves with have a great impact on our beliefs. When we constantly surround ourselves with people who don’t believe the truth about God, ourselves, and others, it is easier to fall into false beliefs. The opposite is also true.
Additionally, when we do not surround ourselves with virtuous friendships and even allow ourselves to be in relationships with people who drag us down, these wounds and relationships can lead us to believe lies.
For example, when I was a high school student, I was in a group of friends who constantly compared, judged, and tore each other down. These friendships led me to believe many lies about myself. When I removed myself from that group of friends, the healing process could begin.
Now, it’s important to note that the key to evaluating our friendships lies in patterns and consistency. No one is perfect. Instead, look for friends who consistently strive for holiness and virtue, and recognize where they need to grow.
How Physical Health Impacts Our Spiritual Health
Care For The Body
As I mentioned above, I find it easier to remember that my body is a gift from God when I steward it by caring for it.
Why is my body a gift?
Because it is the dwelling place of God, a temple of the Holy Spirit.
When we care for our bodies, it is easier to remember that truth, which helps us remember that God is always with us and makes it harder to forget to pray and neglect our relationship with Him.
Virtuous Friendships
In his book 13 Powerful Ways to Pray, Fr. Eamon Tobin writes that our style of relating to others often shows up in our relationship with God. Our friendships can then become places that shape how we relate to God. So, surrounding ourselves with people who challenge us to be better and help us learn healthy communication styles is essential to our prayer.
Additionally, when we surround ourselves with people who pray, we will be held accountable to pray as well.
How Physical Health Impacts Our Virtue
Care For The Body
As mentioned above, improper sleep, nutrition, and exercise can impact our brains and bodies. When these things are out of whack, we are more likely to struggle with self-control. I know that when I don’t sleep well, don’t eat well, and don’t exercise, it is much easier to fall into vice.
Virtuous Friendships
When we surround ourselves with friends who strive for virtue and hold us accountable, it is easier to grow in virtue. When we surround ourselves with friends who don’t strive for virtue, the opposite will happen.
How Physical Health Impacts Our Vocation
Care For the Body
When we properly care for our bodies, we have more energy, which helps us fully engage in and invest in our vocations.
Virtuous Friendships
Our state-in-life vocations are relational in some capacity, and our calling(s) from God usually involve others. Our friendships will teach us how to relate well with others, and will give us the accountability and encouragement to live out our calling(s) from God.
Conclusion
As you can see, physical health strongly influences the other building blocks of resilience, underscoring its importance. I encourage you to take the time today to consider which practices you can add to your life to promote physical health.