Before the Coronavirus pandemic, we were all going about our daily lives with the usual challenges, too much work, too little time, money issues, for some health challenges, work-life balance etc. We were in the humdrum of life then Boom, everything came to an abrupt stop. Suddenly, we were confined to our homes indefinitely, schools and offices were closed, essential workers only could go to their workplaces, roads were empty, hotels and entertainment spots were closed, flights were cancelled, planes were grounded, travel from city to city was stopped, the list is endless. The pandemic disrupted our lives and we had to create a new normal of working from home, conducting meetings on Zoom, home schooling, limiting our outdoor activities to grocery shopping etc.
The pandemic also came with other negative consequences such
as the loss of lives to the Coronavirus, job losses especially in the tourism
and travel sectors, unpaid leave for employees, a rise in domestic violence, an
increase in mental health cases to name a few.
These disruptions and negative consequences have caused untold pain to a
number of individuals and their families.
In the midst of these challenging circumstances, we now have
the choice to either get better and grow through the challenges or get bitter
by adopting a defeatist attitude. To
grow through the problems that we’re facing, we need to develop a trait called
resilience. According to the Oxford
dictionary, ‘resilience is the ability of a person to recover quickly after
experiencing something unpleasant, such as shock or injury.’ Resilience is what will give us the capacity
to overcome our challenges during this pandemic.
One attribute of resilience is optimism, being able to see
challenges as temporary and maintaining hope that the circumstances will
improve in a matter of time. Whatever the situation is, refuse to let it
overwhelm you. Visualize yourself
overcoming your circumstances and coming out of it a better person. Look at the obstacle as an opportunity to
grow and learn new ways of handling difficulties.
Another way to develop resilience is to grow your social
connection with family and friends. A
social support system in the form of friends, family, peers etc. will provide
you with a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on when life gets tough and
advice when you need it. A social
support system will give you the strength you require to tackle whatever
challenges that this pandemic has brought your way.
Resilience is also asking for help when you need it. It is difficult for a number of us to ask for
help because we may see it as a sign of weakness. However, you cannot fix every problem on your
own and you will need advice or assistance from other people or platforms such
as professionals, books, online advice boards or from someone who has faced a
similar problem and overcome it. Asking
for help and admitting that you cannot do everything on your own takes courage
but it is necessary if you want to overcome your challenging situation.
The ability to focus on what you can control is also a trait
of resilience. Instead of getting overwhelmed
by your circumstances, focus on the small steps that you can take to improve it
such as sprucing up your CV or resume
and applying for jobs in the event that you have been retrenched.
Catastrophizing and ruminating on a negative situation is
something that resilient people avoid doing.
Whatever challenge you are going through, do not make it look bigger
than it really is (catastrophizing) and do not go over the situation over and
over again in your mind (ruminating). Catastrophizing
and ruminating over a negative incident will make you think that it is
unbearable and unmanageable. Instead of
this, start thinking of and applying solutions to your problem.
Resilience also involves accepting that your circumstances
have changed and adapting to the new conditions. Change is an inevitable fact of life, so
learning to cope with it with a positive mindset will make the adjustment
period easier and faster for you.
This pandemic has created a new set of challenges for each
of us. However, it has also given us the
capacity to create new opportunities from the difficulties that we face. Developing a resilient character during this
period will not only ensure that we come out of this pandemic as better
individuals, it will also give us the ability to overcome future trials.
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