FEATURE
Resilience in action during COVID-19 How Canadian newcomers are finding purpose and keeping positive to cope with the challenges caused by the pandemic By Vivien Fellegi & Ramya Ramanathan
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oronto newcomer Dmytro Ilchuk struggles with sleepiness early each morning as he trudges to the subway on his two-hour commute to Scarborough’s COVID Isolation Centre. Pink streaks inch across the sky, illuminating the row of red brick houses. And every day, Ilchuk’s foggy brain jolts awake as he registers a message in a window along his route. A giant lopsided heart with the words “Thank you frontline workers.” The appreciation still boosts his morale and pumps him with purpose. “I’m doing something really important in my life,” says Ilchuk. “I feel like I belong to Canada.” Ilchuk’s ability to spot the positive in the midst of a pandemic is impressive but not unusual. About 40 per cent of the general population copes adaptively with misfortune, and 10 per cent become even stronger after battling with adversity, says Professor Michael Ungar, director of Dalhousie University’s Resilience Research Centre and author of Change Your World. Resilience is higher amongst immigrants, says Ungar. “While a disaster like COVID-19 can shake us to our core, it can also boost our resilience,” says Ungar. “We need a disruptive event to look at our fast-paced lives and reconsider our priorities.” As we search for purpose in the pain, we find ways to contribute, picking up groceries for a frail neighbour or checking in on an isolated senior. We also invest more value in our existing relationships and try harder to expand our community networks. These connections give us a sense of belonging and enhance our ability to cope, he says. A positive attitude is also helpful, says Ungar.
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CANADIAN IMMIGRANT Volume 18 Issue 1 | 2021
We should avoid obsessing over potential catastrophes and instead appreciate what we do have. If we’re feeling unhappy, watching a soppy movie or cooking a favorite food can boost our mood. A lot of newcomers to Canada have been especially hard hit by the pandemic, says the expert. “They tend to have much more vulnerable employment.” Another challenge for some recent arrivals is that they might not have recreated the supportive social networks left behind at home.
While a disaster like COVID-19 can shake us to our core, it can also boost our resilience. We need a disruptive event to look at our fast-paced lives and reconsider our priorities.” – Professor Michael Ungar
On the other hand, newcomers who have successfully adapted to immigration – uprooting their lives in their home country, leaving their comfort zone, and starting over in a new country – have already mastered some of the tools of resilience, says Ungar. Just the very act of having navigated through tough times helps people steel themselves to deal with further challenges.
“Having adversity in your life, you do learn to keep it in perspective,” says Ungar. Immigrants are often skilled at using Skype and other virtual platforms to remain connected with loved ones from their native country. As well, they’re often old hands at building new affiliations with the members of their diaspora. “Often when people come to a new country, they…attend (their) ...faith communities much more than back in their country of origin,” says Ungar. These offer practical information, an opportunity to use their mother tongue, and a sense of belonging. Many Canadian newcomers are demonstrating resilience during the pandemic by finding their own unique solutions to deal with the challenges caused by the situation. Meet three of them: frontline worker Dmytro Ilchuk from Ukraine, salesman Puneet Rai from India and long-term care home worker Antanina Hulko from Belarus.
Dmytro Ilchuk
Frontline worker Ilchuk found camaraderie at his workplace, made connections through volunteering initiatives and has combatted stress through self-care. Thirty-six-year-old newcomer Dmytro Ilchuk is no stranger to hardship. When the Ukrainian native came to Canada in 2017 in search of a better life, he was overwhelmed by culture shock – selfconscious about his accent, rejected by locals and unable to land a suitable job. “No one helped me...I almost lost my hope,” he says. Finally, a librarian handed him an employment counsellor’s business card, which led
