Is resilience enough to overcome the after-effects of the pandemic?

Having lived a cooped up life predominantly interfacing with a digital-only world through the pandemic, one could only imagine what the world would be like having maneuvered through unprecedented times. Sentiments like bouncing back and resilience gained prominence as the world began preparing for living a life post Covid 19.

If we look at the literal translation for the word resilience, it means ‘the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties’. In the context of a global pandemic, resilience was a coping resource people could turn to in the face of adversity. As we collectively cope and rebuild from the global pandemic, the question arises: how do we formulate a process for healing such that we not only build back our lives but also gain from transformation? While resilience can help you withstand uncertainty and volatility, it may not necessarily help you use it to your advantage. Here’s where antifragility solves the equation.

Antifragility is a quality essential for individuals, institutions and governments alike to thrive in an ever changing complex world. It is possible for the resilient to become fragile in the face of extreme stressors. Antifragility on the other hand is a trauma response to the fragility of your circumstances. It is a mindset shift to bounce back stronger and better, despite volatility.

Here’s how an antifragile mindset can help:

1. Stay emotionally prepared

Stressful situations can have an immediate impact on our emotions. Oftentimes, this can lead us to worrying or overthinking, further hampering our overall effectiveness in dealing with a difficult situation. Staying aware of your immediate surroundings and your situation will help you stay emotionally prepared in the face of challenges.

2. Change your perspective towards stress

Realize that there can be two types of stress – one that is good for your development and one that will weigh you down. By simply realizing this and distinguishing the types of stress you typically experience, you will be able to have an open mind towards unfamiliar situations.

3. Embrace redundancy 

Being antifragile doesn’t mean that you need to be efficient. It is known that antifragility builds redundancy which in turn builds strength. This includes taking a pause, reflecting on your actions and regrouping yourself.

4. Achieve more with less 

We are conditioned to constantly look out for what can better improve our performance and ways of living. While we hyper optimize, a better known solution to truly optimize your performance is through eliminating what no longer works for you and retaining what does.

Like Winston Churchill said, “Never waste a good crisis”, we needn’t wait for another crisis situation to enable ourselves with an antifragile mindset. Whatever the future holds, antifragility as a life skill will empower you to be prepared for chaos and gain from it.