Resilience is the capacity to adapt and recover, even when life challenges our health and energy.

It’s the rhythm created when different parts of the body and brain support one another. Nervous system regulation, movement, balance, vision, and immune health all play a role. When they strengthen together, they create a foundation for living with more stability, ability and vitality. This matters for everyone—whether facing the ongoing effects of Long COVID, other post-infection conditions, or simply the everyday demands of life.

At its core, resilience is about flexibility: the skill of the body and brain to adjust when conditions shift and then return to balance. This flexibility grows when we address foundational functions and brain–body systems. Each time we extend our capacity—whether through calming the nervous system, moving with control, restoring energy, or pacing to create capacity and reduce strain on our system—we add to our resilience.

At ThriveNinety, we talk a lot about foundation: building and maintaining it step by step through intentional daily actions. This is resilience building at its core. The stronger our foundation is, the more resilient we are. While it’s possible to see quick improvements that boost dopamine levels and motivation, resilience also comes from consistently practicing the tools that support it. Over time, these practices build a cushion that helps us land softly and bounce back more easily from the challenges our systems face and the surprises life can throw at us.

How We Build Resilience and Why These Tools Matter

When resilience develops by addressing different body systems that support each other, we want tools for all of them—so each system can contribute to building our flexible cushion. Practical tools make this possible:

Nervous system regulation: Breathing practices, eye movements, or gentle sensory drills help the body and brain switch from stress to recovery. This switch is necessary to move flexibly between different states of the nervous system. For many people—especially when facing health challenges—this shift into repair and recovery mode can be difficult. Nervous system regulation tools are therefore powerful and essential for overall health and well-being.

Exercise and movement: Simple exercises that refine proprioceptive receptor health and send clear messages to the brain support safer, more efficient movement. This provides all the benefits that come with physical activity—improved blood flow (including to the brain), better blood sugar control, the anti-inflammatory effects of muscle activation, stronger posture, enhanced coordination, and more. Movement strengthens both safety and confidence.

Vision and inner ear: Practicing eye and head movements to strengthen or reset these systems has wide-reaching effects. Our vision guides around 70% of the way we move through life, making eye work—with or without head movements—an essential element. These practices have such impact because they connect to many different areas in the brain, which can be activated and cleared to enhance focus, coordination, and even motor skills.

Immune support: Pacing strategies, nutrition, entering repair mode, and restoring reserves create more flexibility and resilience in the system. The more active the immune system needs to be, the more energy it pulls from other systems like the brain and muscles. Even low-level chronic activation drains energy we need for daily life. Supporting the immune system with anti-inflammatory foods, restorative practices, and time in repair mode has tremendous effects on health and how we feel.

As you can see, each of these elements has its own strength—and they influence one another. They work best when combined into a whole-person approach. Improvements in one area often create positive effects in another: better vision supports movement and balance, smoother movement reduces stress while offering many additional benefits, and a calmer nervous system eases immune load. This interconnectedness is what makes resilience such a powerful resource.

Why Resilience Matters

Resilience benefits everyone—whether living with Long COVID, recovering from another health challenge, or simply aiming to stay strong and well. For those in recovery, resilience offers steadier energy and a clearer path back to participation in life. For those looking to maintain health, it reinforces adaptability and vitality for the long run.

We are ThriveNinety because our goal is to keep doing the things we love well past the age of ninety—and we support others in doing so too. To build resilience, we cannot start too early or too late. Nothing is as powerful or simple as small routines that support the systems driving health and functionality.

Knowing practical ways to build resilience—and understanding how and why they work—makes it easier to create daily routines. Every breathing practice, every step taken with control and purpose, every moment of entering recovery builds capacity. Over time, these small steps create a body and brain that can adapt more easily, recover more fully, and keep moving forward with confidence.

Warmly,
Katie & Andrea

Related Blog posts and resources: 

The Nervous System's Role in Recovery from Long COVID 

Rethinking Exercise for Long COVID Recovery

Three Free Tools to Manage Long COVID Symptoms  

Inspiring Stories of Resilience and Long COVID Recovery