For most people, divorce is a major source of stress. It disrupts day-to-day life and can be a very emotional process. While careful preparation and the assistance of a trusted attorney can help to ease the stress, an individual’s resiliency may also have an impact.
An opinion piece from the New York Times argues that people may have the power to increase their resiliency, which can be beneficial in stressful times.
The Power To Remodel Your Brain
“We are constantly rewiring our brains based on past experience and the expectation of how we need to use them in the future,” says Dr. Huda Akil, a University of Michigan neurologist who specializes in the biological aspects of stress and resilience.
To that end, there are ways that people may be able to consciously change how resilient they are. For example, increasing physical exercise and getting more social support from family, friends and colleagues can in turn lead to an increase in BDNF, a growth factor in the brain. That increase could improve resiliency. Another recommendation is to practice mindfulness. Studies have shown that mindfulness training can actually lead to changes in the brain that increase self-control and may also improve resiliency.
Ultimately, even though the piece states that there are steps people can take to make improvements, science still has much to learn about being resilient during the divorce process and through other stressful events.
