Resilience In The Face of COVID-19
Content Courtesy of the Forever Young Podcast with Christiana Egi and Cherrie-Marie Chiu.
The last few weeks have surely been difficult on the health front, leaving us spending the holidays secluded yet again. In efforts to lighten up our days during the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, this week’s episode of the Forever Young Podcast with Christiana Egi and Cherrie-Marie Chiu explored the topic of resilience, in the face of this demanding time for all of us. Listen to the full podcast episode below to find out more on building resilience and also adapting to changes that life can throw at us:
Christiana defines the term ‘resilience’ itself. and she states that it represents one’s ability to adapt in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, or any other significant life changes (such as COVID-19). In fact, for the last two years, everyone has been dealing with the challenges of adapting to living in the pandemic. With the new Omicron variant, however, this can be extra difficult on individuals, families, businesses, and schools globally. Showing resilience to this all means to be able to push through a “wall”. This is because once one is able to push through tough situations, it is easy to manage to live a happy and healthy life. For example, staying positive and working out are natural ways to be resilient during difficult times.
We are currently also facing a mental health crisis (thanks to COVID). This means that, millions worldwide are lacking resilience due to mental health stressors that are brought up in light of this pandemic. Unfortunately, these mental health difficulties have increased drug and alcohol use, and violence. Cherrie-Marie Chiu explains that these behaviours could be acts of potential self-medicating from the pain this year has brought us. Many young people are also coping by turning to drugs and alcohol, leading to overall increased mental health issues within them.
In a crisis like this, Christiana and Cherrie believe it is important to introduce and remind society of the 7 C’S of Resilience to help support people on their journeys to recovering from such traumatic events and experiences:
Competence: This term proves one’s ability to attempt to learn how to manage difficult situations and stressors. You can practice this by focusing on improving a set of personal skills, such as relationship skills and self-management.
Confidence: An individual’s ability to be confident can be displayed by having firm trust and belief in yourself. Accomplishing tasks and monitoring the progress of goals can help one build confidence.
Connection: As human beings, it is natural for us to desire to build social connections with peers. Reaching out to a friend or family member for emotional support promotes such social connections.
Character: Developing a strong and positive character is always helpful in lifting moods and days where we feel sluggish. Journaling and acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses can help build your character.
Contribution: Contributing to your community is a great way to help maintain a strong sense of purpose. After all, helping others is always a feel-good activity.
Coping: Developing good coping skills can help you recover from adversity, and supports the maintenance of a strong character. Talking to a therapist to create a coping plan for yourself is always recommended.
Control: You have complete control over what you do. Although you do not have control over the things that happen to you, you still have control over the way you react in tough situations. Remember, you simply cannot change the cards you are dealt, just the way you play the hand.
Do you feel as though you have difficulty building resilience for yourself? Do not worry! There are many tips and tricks to living through a pandemic that Christiana and Cherrie end off their podcast with. Beginning each morning with a couple of minutes of deep breathing and meditation, allows us to begin our days with a more clear and more focused mindset. Taking action in caring for ourselves is also recommended. You can do so by eating proper meals, following a sleep schedule, and naturally relieving stress, through being active. Most importantly, focus on your thought process. Your thought process is the foundation of our existence, thus, positive thinking can bring us confidence and courage.
*The Forever Young podcast is created and produced by Christiana and Cherrie Marie Chiu. Produced and engineered by Elisse Hill. The podcast represents our opinions and those of our guests. The content should not be taken as medical advice. It is for informational purposes only. Please consult your health care professional for any medical questions. If you like our show, please tell your friends and leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. New episodes are available every other Wednesday. Have questions? Email us at ourforeveryoungpodcast@gmail.com.
