Low resilience is present when mental and/or physical stresses of normal daily life cannot be managed without greater effort. Usually, low resilience is also related to a general weakness. However, it can also occur as a single symptom of illness.
What is low resilience?
A person is considered to have low resilience if he or she can only cope with either physically or psychologically challenging situations with great effort or not at all. A person’s low resilience can be measured by a variety of scales. There are diseases that cause extremely low resilience in affected patients, which is why they are not compared with healthy people to determine the degree. In addition, it is also possible to develop low resilience only as a result of the development of a disease. For diagnosis in such cases, it is determined how much of the original resilience has been lost. A person is considered to have low resilience if he or she can only cope with either physically or psychologically challenging situations with great effort or not at all.
Causes
There are many causes of low resilience. As a rule, people are less able to cope with stress when they are weakened by illness. However, obesity and psychological disorders can also lead to low resilience in everyday life. However, heart disease also plays a large role, as it also causes low resilience. Low mental resilience can have many different causes. In order to determine the exact reason, it is first necessary to analyze in more detail in which situations the affected patient shows low resilience. In general, it can occur with depression or an impending burnout syndrome. However, other mental illnesses are also conceivable, which only affect a part of the psyche and ensure that the patient is only able to work under low stress. Low physical resilience manifests itself, for example, in the fact that the patient shows excessively strong symptoms of stress during sports or exercise or reacts very sensitively to certain substances. Performance decreases and the patient experiences feelings of weakness. This may be due to a disease of the gastrointestinal tract, due to which food cannot be properly digested – the cause is then malnutrition. Smoker’s cough or short-term bronchitis reduces the ability to breathe. Cancer can trigger a generally reduced ability to exercise, as it brings with it the well-known cancer fatigue. Old injuries can also permanently impair exercise capacity.
Diseases with this symptom
- Obesity
- Common cold
- Meningitis
- Angina_tonsillaris
- Heart failure
- Heart muscle inflammation
- Heat stroke
- Sunstroke
- Leukemia
- Hypothyroidism
- Multiple sclerosis
- Lung cancer
- Menopause
- Anemia
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Iron deficiency anemia
- Menopause
- Inguinal hernia
Complications
When declaring the complication, the culprit disease should be considered. A complication is medically, the consequence of a health disorder, another complication or an undesirable concomitant effect of a remedy used against this causative disorder. Complications may thus arise from a misdiagnosis or in the course of medication. Low resilience may be physical or is a possible complication of a mental illness, especially as these may also be caused by low resilience. Likewise, low resilience could result in a predisposition to further mental health symptoms. Mental symptoms mostly occur in sensitive or traumatized people. Low resilience may be a first sign of depression. To prevent exacerbations, an examination or psychological test should be done if there are new symptoms. Serious psychic disorders are the responsibility of the psychiatrist. With him and the psychologist, a plan can be made for treatment, medication, and further life management. Low resilience often also occurs during menopause or old age.A healthy dietary intake, avoidance of alcohol and nicotine, and regular health checkups can avert many diseases that cause low resilience. In general, a diet rich in vitamins is advisable. Some medical supplements decrease overall resilience, which can cause further complications such as lack of exercise.
When should you see a doctor?
With low resilience, a distinction must be made between two forms: psychological as well as physical low resilience. Not infrequently, however, both forms occur in combination. Depending on the severity, other specialists besides the general practitioner may be considered for treatment. In the case of psychological low resilience, the psychologist or psychotherapist is the right choice for treatment. It is mainly particularly sensitive people or traumatized persons who suffer from low psychological resilience. In talk therapies they stabilize their psyche and plan their future. There are many possible medical reasons for a physically induced lower resilience. In addition to internal factors such as hyperacidity of the body or menopause, physical low resilience is often based on diseases, for example:
- Cold
- Heart failure
- Heart muscle inflammation
- Anemia
- Hypothyroidism
- Cancers
- Multiple sclerosis
- Meningitis
- Rheumatism
- Ulcerative colitis
Befindlichkeits triggered by obesity or low blood pressure can also lead to physical low resilience. Specialists such as internists, gastroenterologists, endocrinologists, neurologists and oncologists are the right contacts here. Persistent low resilience takes away the joy of life and can lead to early retirement in severe cases. So medical treatment is urgently needed here.
Treatment and therapy
Low resilience due to seasonal illnesses, such as angina tonsillaris or the common cold usually disappears with the illness. Weight loss from and dietary changes for obesity also restore resilience. In the case of heart disease and psychologically caused illnesses, only medical therapy can lead to general recovery. A psychologically caused low resilience must therefore always be treated by the psychologist. It signals an advanced stage of the underlying disease and is considered a symptom that severely limits the patient’s quality of life. Talk therapy approaches are particularly helpful in analyzing the underlying sources of the problem together with the patient. Based on this, further treatment is designed, which can also be medicinal. Low resilience due to various conditions can only be effectively treated if the condition is acute and not chronic. It is always a symptomatic treatment, as low resilience does not occur alone. For short-term reduced resilience, for example due to flu or bronchitis, rest is the treatment of choice. Severe or chronic conditions, on the other hand, are treated separately rather than resilience. Only when it becomes a burden or could become life-threatening is it treated independently. In the case of smoker’s cough, for example, the administration of oxygen helps in the advanced stages; it can even make the condition reversible.
Outlook and prognosis
Low resilience can have very many different causes and does not necessarily lead to a severe medical complication. Often, low resilience occurs when a person has a flu-like infection. In these moments, certain tasks become difficult and cannot be performed. The same occurs with other infections, as the body’s immune system is generally weakened. In these cases, low resilience does not necessarily need to be treated, as it is only a symptom in another illness. However, low resilience also often occurs with serious illnesses, as the body’s immune system is then generally severely weakened. If the problem occurs for several weeks and does not disappear on its own, it is essential to consult a doctor, as this can be a serious illness.Whether and how well this disease can be defeated depends largely on the disease itself and its progress. In most cases, however, the low load-bearing capacity occurs only temporarily and disappears again without treatment. It may also indicate overuse of the muscles, which is why they need to be spared.
Prevention
Low resilience cannot be effectively prevented either psychologically or physically. However, it is helpful to make a general effort to maintain good health, for example, by exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, and making sure you get enough relaxation. This strengthens the immune system and also ensures a healthy psyche. At the slightest sign of reduced resilience, one should immediately contact the doctor, as this will allow him to detect worse diseases at an early stage. This way, the low resilience will not have such a strong effect.
Here’s what you can do yourself
Low resilience has a significant impact on everyday life and can also jeopardize your work situation. People who are resilient cope better with setbacks. People who are less resilient have a higher risk of burnout and are more at risk of losing their jobs. This is precisely where resilience is more in demand than ever. It is therefore worthwhile to increase one’s mental and physical resilience. Those who are quickly put off by the words of others should acquire a certain immunity to outside judgments. Those who give up easily when problems arise need to work on their stamina. Balance and mental strength are essential pillars of psychological resilience. A basic optimistic attitude can be trained and enables greater composure, generates more self-confidence and thus greater resilience. Positive strategies can reduce stress. These include self-suggestions, for example. An optimistic attitude helps to accept things that cannot be changed, but also to become aware of one’s strengths. Learning and practicing relaxation techniques can also reduce stress and make you more psychologically resilient. Malnutrition causes poor stress management and should be addressed as soon as possible. Rest, plenty of sleep and exercise also help increase or restore resilience. Unbalanced nutrition has both physical and mental effects. Sport by no means only benefits the body; it also makes you mentally fitter.
