Developing adaptability and resilience during a global pandemic

Although we find ourselves using the phrase “post-pandemic”, the truth is, the COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet. Despite this, we can experience several notable changes caused by the virus, hybrid working becoming common being one of them. In order to perform better amongst uncertain conditions, we have to learn to be resilient and adaptable.

More likely than not, we have all encountered hardships during our lives and work, but a global pandemic proves to be a unique situation – even those, who usually seem to be quite resilient need to focus more attention on their well-being. We have to be conscious to reserve our mental health. In this blogpost, we discuss 5 steps that can help in doing this:

1. Accept your emotions

In the movie “Inside Out” where we explore a young girl’s, Riley’s emotional world, each character represents an emotion. During the movie, the personified Joy, Anger, Fear and Disgust try to reduce Sadness’s influence on Riley because when she takes over, the protagonist’s emotional stability is threatened. This power struggle only results in bigger chaos. We have to accept our emotions as they are. It is natural to not be well sometimes. Without negative emotions, we can’t appreciate good things that we have lost – the memory of a loved one we lost to the pandemic, or our pre-pandemic freedom.

2. Accept change

The last two years, we have experienced changes everywhere we go – change is a natural part of human life. Every change presents an opportunity for development.

3. Shift your focus towards your goals

Maybe you lost your job due to the pandemic – after processing the uncertainty caused by the situation, this is a great time to reframe your mindset, formulate your wants, goals and develop new plans to achieve them.

4. Act to preserve your mental health

Work stress can easily have a negative impact of your mental health, therefore it is necessary to take breaks and use time to recharge your batteries. Although societal norms suggest that holidays are the rewards of working hard, it is better to take a break before we feel the heat from work stress, to prevent burnout.

5. Be open to new experiences

Change can open up new doors – share your ideas and listen to other opinions, too. Practicing growth-oriented mindset is extremely important for our development.

Every worker and leader processes the pandemic-caused changes in different ways, and leaders have to consider all the people working in their organization, therefore the process becomes even more complex. But one thing is for sure: a people-centered approach is the only way to recover from these hardships.

 

The original blogpost can be accessed here.