Anxiety, depression and panic have been experienced daily by many people in the world during the coronavirus pandemic.
This week, we woke up to hear the sad news that Thomas Schäfer, the finance minister of Germany’s Hesse state, committed suicide apparently after becoming “deeply worried” about how to cope with the economic fallout from the pandemic.
I lost my calming voice, especially because South Africa has reported more than 1353 Covid-19 cases. The virus has currently affected 203 countries and territories around the world.
Can one rise up while in the midst of such chaos and disruption?
Yes, if one tirelessly practices resilience. There’s a lot to learn from Abdelhak Nouri’s football path with regard to being resilient.
The former Ajax player in the Netherlands, has awakened from a coma that lasted for two years and nine months. This is maybe a miracle, but his undying spirit has brought hope not only to the Dutch, but to the world at large.
The 22-year-old collapsed during a friendly between Ajax and Germany’s Werder Bremen on July 8, 2017 in Austria due to cardiac arrest, which caused serious brain damage and left him in a coma.
His recovery comes at a time when the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in his country of birth, the Netherlands, has past 10000.
In a daily update, the Netherlands’s National Institute for Health said confirmed cases rose by 1104 to reach 10866, an 11% increase. There were 132 new deaths, bringing the number of fatalities to 771 as of Wednesday.
These reports have been mentally draining to people, but Nouri’s responsiveness truly resembles the will and spirit to make it against all odds.
He was one of the most promising footballers in Ajax’s academy. He was one of the talented players that helped the club reach the Champions League semi-finals. But, unfortunately, his football career came to an abrupt end.
He was a youth product of Eredivisie club Ajax; he played two years of senior football with its reserve team and first team. He also represented the Netherlands at various youth levels.
Nouri was also named Jupiler Player of the Season in 2016/17 for his contribution to the second-tier Jong Ajax or “Young Ajax” team.
Fighting for his life in hospital for almost three years, and eventually returning home, is not only a heartening and uplifting story but one that teaches about resilience.
Resilience is that ineffable quality that allows some people to be knocked down by life and still come back at least as strong as before. Rather than letting difficulties or failure overcome them and drain their resolve, they find a way to rise.
Psychologists have identified some of the factors that make a person resilient, such as a positive attitude, optimism, the ability to regulate emotions, and the ability to see failure as a form of helpful feedback.
Research shows that optimism helps blunt the impact of stress on the mind and body in the wake of disturbing experiences. And that gives people access to their own cognitive resources, enabling cool-headed analysis of what might have gone wrong and consideration of behavioural paths that might be more productive.
Lastly, resilience is not some magical quality; it takes real mental work to transcend hardship. But even after misfortune, resilient people are able to change course and move towards achieving their goals.
There’s growing evidence that elements of resilience guided Nouri’s recovery journey.
Thank you, Abdelhak Nouri, for reminding us about the meaning of resilience during the hardship and discomfort that Covid-19 has brought to the world.
Myataza is a political science graduate from UWC, and the founder of Village Girl Creatives.