{"id":335,"date":"2021-04-26T11:23:28","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T10:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/wellbeing\/?p=335"},"modified":"2021-04-26T11:23:30","modified_gmt":"2021-04-26T10:23:30","slug":"stress-less-by-going-back-to-basics-building-your-resilience-with-the-five-pillars-of-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/wellbeing\/2021\/04\/26\/stress-less-by-going-back-to-basics-building-your-resilience-with-the-five-pillars-of-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Stress Less by Going Back to Basics: Building your resilience with the five pillars of health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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April is Stress Awareness Month, which coincides with the relaxing of some of the lockdown measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you think about the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of The Change Curve below, we are all rapid cycling around the curve rather than reaching the end point of \u2018moving forward\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image: The Change Curve
<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to remember that everyone\u2019s experience of the last year has been different. Whether you have home schooled children, looked after older parents, had ill relatives, or been isolated from your loved ones, all our journeys have been unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe self-compassion and compassion for others are key in achieving this next transition phase. Covid is not going away despite the promises of the vaccines – this is something we need to learn to live alongside rather than wait for it to pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need to focus on our locus of control; we cannot control the pandemic or the lockdowns, but we can look after ourselves to allow us to come out the other side intact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what can we do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, think about your own journey \u2013 what one thing could you try to improve on that would give you maximum benefits?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pillars of Health<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The core foundations of our wellbeing are sleep, food, exercise, relaxation and connecting with others. Here, we look at each of them in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sleep<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sleep underpins all aspects of health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It regulates our appetite, helping to control body weight through healthy food selection rather than rash impulsivity. Plentiful sleep maintains a flourishing microbiome within your gut from which we know so much of our nutritional and immune health begins. Adequate sleep is also intimately tied to the fitness of our cardiovascular system, lowering blood pressure and keeping our hearts in good condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf sleep doesn\u2019t serve as some vital function, it is the biggest mistake evolution ever made\u2019
<\/em><\/p>\u2013 Allan Rechtschaffen<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The daylight-saving time is an annual experiment which proves just how detrimental losing an hour of sleep is. In his book Why We Sleep<\/em>, Matthew Walker reported that when the clocks go forwards every year, the following day there is an increase in heart attacks, strokes, suicides and car accidents by around 24%. When the clocks go back and give us an additional hour of sleep, we see a 21% reduction of those events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working from home has removed normal boundaries too \u2013 many people have been working into the evenings whilst juggling childcare commitments.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Loughborough health and wellbeing needs assessment showed that 80% of our staff had trouble sleeping. If you\u2019re struggling to have a good night\u2019s sleep, try the following tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n