In the search for answers the Deutsche Welle film visits some of the leading figures in resilience research, and I am watching it finding things I already knew. I can't say I have a stress-related illness or a very hard life - it could have been better but it's not very hard - and things like practicing Kendo helped me. The filmmakers also interview epigeneticists and neuroscientists. In the largest European resilience center in Mainz, Germany, researchers conduct a long-term study to explore the mechanisms deployed by people who enjoy good mental health despite stress and crisis. In southern France, the film meets Boris Cyrulnik, a pioneer of resilience research. His credo: when it comes to resilient behavior, it’s not just down to each of us - the society and politics also have a responsibility to create appropriate conditions for stable psychological health. The film tells the moving story of two families united by tragedy: following the violent death of their two sons, who were friends, they struggle to find their way back to some semblance of normal life.
Our experiences, our environment and our genes - all influence our powers of mental resilience. Resilience isn’t a magic word or a promise of happiness, but a life-long learning process.
