We live in times that test us. Scary events, global health crises, and conflicts have become a stark reality, stirring a potent mix of emotions within. It's a common saying that those who don't believe in miracles don't experience them. Perhaps, then, the first step is to acknowledge the power we hold to shape our experience, even when joy seems distant and our dearest connections feel strained.

There are moments, undeniably, when happiness feels like a forgotten language, when even the presence of loved ones, usually a source of comfort, can inexplicably lead to irritation. A fleeting, wild thought to escape it all might cross the mind. But if we pause, listen beyond the weariness, we recognize that these connections are integral parts of our reality, often the best parts. Hiding from this reality, especially when it’s stressful, isn’t always the most viable path for a living being in such a situation.

The Instinctive Responses: Run, Freeze, or Attack

When faced with overwhelming situations, our primal instincts kick in: run, freeze, or attack. The urge to run is understandable. Yet, in an interconnected world, true escape is often an illusion. Even a billionaire, secluded on a lavish yacht in a remote idyll, eventually needs to reconnect with the world for essential resources. Migration, too, can simply mean swapping one set of stresses for another, as globalization ensures that challenges are rarely confined to one corner of the globe.

If running isn't a solution, we might try to freeze, to play dead, hoping the threat passes. But this, too, often fails. The natural progression, then, can lead towards a form of aggression. This isn't about inciting destruction or chaos. Instead, it’s about recognizing the immense energy that has accumulated within us and finding a constructive way to expend it.

A Plan for Channeling Inner Energy

So, let's lay out a plan, particularly for those feeling the weight of current difficulties.

1. Acknowledge and Feel: The first step is to accept and truly feel the emotions, including any aggression, that have built up in our bodies.
2. Choose Action: The next step is to tell ourselves that if a stressful situation can either paralyze or stimulate us to action, we choose the path of action.
3. Discover Your "What" and "How": Finally, the third stage, at first glance, will seem quite difficult. We need to figure out what to do and how to do it. Our main goal here is to reduce stress levels, and the nervous system is designed in such a way that when the brain and body start to do something meaningful, the stress recedes. In the body, a powerful shake-up occurs, metabolism and blood flow increase, and the immune system behaves in all its glory. But if you do nothing, the immune system can be severely weakened. Any restriction of physical activity leads nature to believe that you are waste material and it is time to get rid of you.

Igniting Vitality and Strengthening Immunity

To start with, consider the fundamental aspects of our well-being. So, to start with, have sex. Don't suppress nature's signal that you don't want to reproduce, because it may draw conclusions.

Next, curate your information environment. Mute your incessantly blaring TV, close all social media tabs. Your task is to minimize information noise and distance yourself from the countless armchair experts who fill the internet. It's not that their expertise is useless. Any expertise is, by and large, just the opinion of some person on the internet, and the stressful environment in which we have to exist adds to the complexity. We don't need just any expert opinions and comments; we need specific theses that can stop the panic. Look for those who can take you from a state of fear to a state of action.

Think about how different people react to a common virus, like the flu. Some people suffer for a long time with complications, some get away with a mild cough and quickly get back on their feet, and some are completely bypassed by the virus. This happens because everyone has a different immune system. People often talk about it, but they are too lazy to understand and explain what it is. Let's try to do that. If we reason by a process of elimination, immunity cannot be boosted by a single action; it cannot be injected like a shot, it cannot be cultivated by eating roots, believing that immunity works differently; it needs hormones. It is hormones that signal the body to defend itself against the dangers of cold, viruses, and bacteria. During stress, for example, cortisol is produced first. Then there are two possible options: either a noradrenaline reaction occurs, characterized by active coping – a metaphorical (or literal) leap into action, actively overcoming the complex situation by jumping, clawing, biting, hunting in a frenzy. Or the second option develops: an adrenaline reaction, which is fear, paralysis of the will, which rapidly kills the immune system. To simplify it greatly, adrenaline in this context can be a response of defeat if not managed by willpower and the right set of actions.

A Recipe for Resilience

Let’s consider a "recipe" for producing this hormone balance, which includes several ingredients for fostering this resilient state:

• Movement, Not Exhaustion: Physical activity is good for the immune system. It strengthens your body at all levels. Walk more often, go for walks, go to the pool, dance, do Pilates, but don't overdo it. If you spend hours in the gym lifting weights and exhausting yourself with cardio workouts, your immune system will definitely not thank you. Such activity is more likely to weaken it because it will be perceived as additional stress for the body.

• The Power of Laughter: Add it in several forms. It can be silly laughter from watching amusing animal videos online. Ironic, even philosophical timeless, heartwarming comedies are also suitable. Everything always ends well in them, and they also bring back memories of childhood when our grandmothers protected us and fed us buns. But I don't really recommend films like "The Epidemic," "I Am Legend," and disturbing New Wave series like "House of Cards." In our recipe, we need good to prevail over evil.

• Resolving the Past: Unresolved issues from the past lower immunity, such as years of guilt, unasked-for resentment, and underdeveloped student romance. This is chronic stress that eats away at you from the inside. Try making a list of unresolved emotions. I assure you that many of them can be resolved. You can call someone, talk everything out that has been gnawing at you for a long time. Some things you can think through and analyze on your own and forgive. If it's difficult to do this yourself, a good psychotherapist can help. Don't be afraid to seek professional help. It's worth it. By the way, if you construct an honest logical chain of past events in your mind, much will be forgiven by itself. Many negative events will suddenly turn out to be useful for your future life. Logic takes time, and right now you have that time. Let go of the bad, sort out the good.

• The Warmth of Memories and Connection: Digitization is useful right now. It's worth remembering how you can be happy with a mouth full of spaghetti aglio e olio in Sardinia. It is not customary to immortalize sad moments. This is the great meaning of amateur photography. It is true. Look through your old photos. You can do this with your loved ones, with your family. Put the pictures on the TV screen and watch them together as a family. The tactility, the feeling of togetherness in the face of danger increases the level of another hormone important for immunity. And for such a simple action as looking at your photos from the past, your immune system will thank you. And even if you are home alone, look at photos from your past. There is a lot of good and a lot of energy in them. If you see your school teacher, call her and ask how she is doing and if she needs any help. You will probably make two people happy at once, because good deeds make the giver happier than the recipient. The better you treat those around you, the better you will feel, the lower your stress level and the higher your immunity. In ancient medicine, there was a theory that diseases were caused by an overflow of bile, associated with an angry, spiteful temperament. The word “bilious” still means grumpy, perpetually dissatisfied with everything. All illnesses come from nerves.

Designing Your Future

When you have done all this, you can sit down and think about the future. What are your plans? What do you want? Don't listen to futurologists, because the future is the sum of the actions of many people in the present. I'm not saying that futurologists eat their bread for free, but their predictions program you to act in a certain way, so take action. Sit down and write a business plan for a new project, or open a map of the world, not one with statistics on infections and disasters, but one with photos of nature in places you definitely need to visit. Start dreaming. How will you travel to Europe for the first time? How will you visit the ocean? Dream boldly, because the bigger and more complex your dream is, the more long-term plans you will need to fulfill it. And we have already figured out that those who plan live. They wait for the fruits they planted 20 years ago. Every year, they plant an apple tree so that in 20 years they can eat an apple and live longer than others, like scientists, like conductors, like collectors.

If you cannot realize your plans in business, make a plan in another field, in sports. Those who plan live longer. Only the idea of the future, only the idea of what we will be doing in a year, in two years, in ten years, pulls us forward and gives us immunity. The longer we plan, the longer we live, and remember, people who don't believe in miracles never have them. Let's believe in miracles. Let's plan things that we couldn't even imagine before. Pick up a book or find a website with 100 places on Earth and plan your travels for the next 25 years. You'll have to live those 25 years, or better yet, 50, to get there. See you where we dream of going. Good luck!

References:

• Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping. Third Edition. Henry Holt and Company.

  This book provides an accessible and comprehensive explanation of the physiological effects of stress on the body, including the hormonal responses (like cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline mentioned in the article) and the impact of chronic stress on the immune system. It supports the article's discussion on how stress affects us and the importance of managing it. (Relevant sections: Part One: "Stress and the Body" and Part Two: "Stress and Specific Diseases," particularly chapters on stress and the immune system).

• Frankl, V. E. (2006). Man's Search for Meaning. Beacon Press.

  Frankl's work emphasizes the importance of finding meaning and purpose, especially in the face of suffering and extreme adversity. This aligns with the article's strong focus on planning for the future, dreaming, and having long-term goals as a way to foster resilience and the will to live. The idea that a future-oriented perspective can provide strength is a core tenet. (Relevant sections: Particularly "Part Two: Logotherapy in a Nutshell," which explains the concept of finding meaning).