This or That?
Find Out What Your Choices Say About How Resilient You Are!
Take the Quiz
This or That
therapist
friend
Seventy-four percent of survey respondents chose “friend” and 26 percent chose “therapist.” Both help us work through whatever’s on our mind (and keep us mentally strong and resilient), but we think of them differently, Sood says. We go to our friends to feel connected and to feel validated in our feelings. A lot of people tend to view a therapist as someone who’s going to tell us how to fix something we’re doing wrong. But both friends and therapists can play both roles, Sood says.
Next Question
74%
26%
CBD oil
Anxiety or depression medication
cbd oil
Fifty-one percent of survey respondents chose “anxiety or depression medication,” and 49 percent chose “CBD oil.” If you’re struggling with a mood disorder, like anxiety or depression, there’s no one right way to treat it, but there may be a way that works best for you. CBD oil has helped some people with pain, anxiety, and depression, though it’s not currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for any of those uses. Antidepressant drugs are approved by the FDA to treat mood disorders, but can have other side effects. Your healthcare provider can help you pick a therapy that’s safe and effective, and that you feel comfortable trying.
51%
anxiety or depression medication
49%
Don’t sweat the small stuff
Overthink things
Fifty-three percent of survey respondents chose “don’t sweat the small stuff” and 47 percent chose “overthink things.” We tend to overthink things because we spend a lot of times in our own thoughts, Sood says — but it’s often not the more resilient approach. Ask yourself, “Will whatever I’m brooding over matter in five years?” We all have a finite number of moments, and if it’s not going to matter, don’t sweat it, Sood says.
don't sweat the small stuff
53%
overthink things
47%
Lunch hour with coworkers
Lunch hour with social media
Sixty percent of survey respondents chose “lunch hour with coworkers,” while 40 percent chose “lunch hour with social media.” Social media itself isn’t bad, Sood says, unless we’re using it to replace connecting with others in person, he says. Face-to-face interactions tend to require more energy than virtual ones. “But you are likely to get more out of it too,” Sood adds. (And interestingly, people with higher resilience scores in our survey were more likely to choose the in-person lunch compared with people with lower resilience scores.)
lunch hour with coworkers
60%
lunch hour with social media
40%
23andME DNA TESTING
AncestryDNA TESTING
Sixty-eight percent of survey respondents chose “AncestryDNA testing,” while 32 percent chose “23andMe DNA testing.” Both knowing where you come from and knowing more about your health predispositions can bolster resilience. 23andMe, for example, introduced a test earlier this year that tells users if they are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes (a chronic problem affecting about 25 percent of people in the United States). Experts say the hope is that such knowledge will motivate people to take the steps they can to bring that risk down.
32%
AncestryDNA Testing
23andMe DNA Testing
68%
figure it out
ask for help
Sixty-seven percent of survey respondents chose “figure it out,” while 33 percent chose “ask for help.” Both are resilient attitudes, he says. It’s a marker of strength to take on a challenge. But remember, no one’s an island; everyone needs to ask for help sometimes. “The ability to choose between figuring it out versus asking for help — that’s where the greatest resilience lies,” Sood says.
67%
33%
ambien
sleep app
Sixty-two percent of survey respondents picked “sleep app” versus 38 percent opting for “Ambien.” It’s a no-brainer that sleep (a cornerstone of our physical and emotional health) helps with all domains of resilience. To get better at consistently clocking quality sleep, practice good sleep habits (like going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, and not overdoing caffeine). Several sleep apps are specifically designed to help you get into good sleep routines, but be sure they’re not keeping you on your phone too close to bedtime (as your screen’s blue light can disrupt sleep later on).
62%
38%
keto
plant-based
Sixty-seven percent of respondents chose “plant-based,” while 33 percent picked “keto.” Eating a healthy, balanced diet is foundational for good physical and mental health (and therefore for resilience, too). Finding the right diet for you is all about adopting eating habits that you can stick with over the long term and deliver the nutrition you need, whatever your health goals are. And remember, plans with a little bit more flexibility usually tend to be more sustainable, Sood says.
telehealth
In-person doctor visit
Eighty-two percent of survey respondents chose “in-person doctor visit,” while 18 percent chose “telehealth.” Those numbers may mirror the reality that just over 15 percent of physicians are using telemedicine, according to data from the American Medical Association that appeared in a study published in December 2018 in the journal Health Affairs. But several top health groups around the world agree there’s a huge potential for it to improve care everywhere, according to the World Health Organization. Any tool that helps you take care of yourself and your health helps you boost resilience, Sood says. He suspects the number of people opting for tele health will grow as it makes more healthcare more accessible.
18%
in-person doctor visit
82%
It is what it is
Let’s do something about it
Sixty-one percent of survey respondents chose “let’s do something about it” versus 39 percent who chose “it is what it is.” The former is more about action, the latter response is more about acceptance; both are part of resilience, Sood says. When you face a challenge, there are going to be things you need to accept (a tree fell on your house, someone close to you is sick), but you also need to summon the willpower and vitality from within to take action and respond.
Start Over
let's do something about it
61%
it is what it is
39%