Psychiatrist: When building mental resilience, we can follow the example of a Polish astronaut

We can prepare for stressful and unfamiliar situations with systematic work, just as the Polish astronaut prepared for his space flight, says psychiatrist Dr. Andrzej Silczuk. In his opinion, regular work is essential for building mental resilience.

On Tuesday, the Dragon capsule with four astronauts from the Ax-4 mission, including Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, safely returned to Earth after a stay of several days on the International Space Station (ISS).

Before Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski entered space, he participated in two years of training designed to prepare him to cope with a completely new reality. This included not only preparing him to function in microgravity conditions or learning how to operate the equipment on the ISS.

In accordance with NASA and ESA training procedures, astronauts undergo planned training prior to spaceflight, focusing not only on physical fitness and technical skills but also on building mental resilience. Maintaining mental well-being is crucial to mission success, crew safety, and space exploration.

According to psychiatrist Dr. Andrzej Silczuk, an expert on the Multi.Life program, everyone can draw a valuable personal lesson from this historic event.

"Building our resilience to what is not fully understood, what we haven't encountered before, is crucial for survival in this new situation. We should adopt this perspective not only when thinking about space, but also in the conditions of our everyday lives on Earth," said Dr. Silczuk, quoted in a press release sent to PAP.

As he noted, any stressful, difficult, and new situation can feel like a space flight. "We'll handle it as well as our predispositions and resources allow. It's worth remembering that we can work on them," he emphasized.

In preparation for space missions, astronauts undergo emotional regulation training, including breathing and relaxation exercises, and learn strategies for managing mental stress. They also learn to recognize signs of mental overload in themselves and other mission members. During their time in orbit, the crew is provided with ongoing support, including access to psychological services and the ability to communicate with mental health specialists.

This is important because there are many risk factors in space that you need to prepare for: high stress levels, isolation, disruption of circadian rhythms, and decreased cognitive performance.

"Chronic stress is one of the most common threats to mental health, even on Earth. Each of us will experience hundreds of serious stressful situations in our lives, and probably even one depressive episode. However, unlike astronauts, Poles still do not sufficiently utilize preventive measures and assistance to build their resilience in this area," emphasized Dr. Silczuk.

As he explained, working on breathing is crucial in controlling emotions in stressful situations, even though it seems like something completely prosaic.

"Psychological consultations, in turn, can be used not only in the treatment of specific mental ailments, but also in the analysis of everyday stressful events. Through such a conversation with a specialist, we can understand our reaction mechanism to a specific event and the feelings that accompany it. Based on this, we can develop individualized methods that we can use in the future," explained the psychiatrist.

Data from the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) indicate that the age group most likely to struggle with mental health problems is between 30 and 39 years old – the most economically active group of Poles. According to ZUS data, in 2024, the number of sick leave cases due to mental and behavioral disorders in Poland increased by 13.8% compared to the previous year, reaching over 1.6 million.

The deepening mental health crisis is reflected in the latest ZUS statistics for the first quarter of 2025 – due to mental overload, Poles spent as many as 8 million days on sick leave – this is 0.8 percentage points more than a year earlier.

According to the expert, programs implemented by some companies and workplaces can play a significant role in building society's mental resilience. They offer their employees courses and training, for example, in relaxation and breathing techniques, as well as the opportunity to benefit from the support of psychological specialists in the form of individual consultations. Employees can, for example, take advantage of meetings with a psychologist, for example, online, choosing experts specializing in various therapeutic techniques and areas of psychology. (PAP)

Science in Poland

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