Resilience in the "Evolving Normal"
What keeps resilience bouncing back when climate change disrupts lives and livelihoods, rising living costs squeeze breadwinners’ cash flows and breaking news stories keep spiking the stress hormones? Every human reaches a crack point which, in South Africa, is termed “gatvol”. Our world is changing rapidly and that calls for a different form of resilience.
The pushes and pulls of “bad news”, shocks and the tech-driven “always on” lifestyle, bring people to a point of no return. Although people recognise their need for psychological safety and support, there is an inherent resistance to share deep-seated vulnerabilities, especially at work and in peer groups. There are very few spaces to talk about these things, especially for those in positions of high performance and high responsibility. Resilient people are known to just “get on with it” – the label directs expected behaviour. But what happens to the person who has no bounce left? Or who has lost sense of their core identity in this mayhem of change?
Resilience is an aspirational trait. It refers to the ability to recover or recoil from an event or experience. Put in simpler way, to return to one’s optimal centre point, physically, mentally and emotionally. Reaching resilience is a complex process - it requires self-regulation of the body-mind and of thoughts-emotions. Overlay this with disruptive external factors, complex becomes complicated. Anxiety, overwhelm and chronic stress set in. It starts slowly, with subtle but noticeable behavioural changes.
Statistics reported by the World Health Organisation indicate that more than 1 billion people are living with a mental health challenge. The cost of healthcare and lost productivity due to anxiety and depression, costs the global economy USD 1 trillion per year. Suicide is a leading cause of death among young people and is forecast to continue to 2030. The resilience of next generation parents, educators, value creators, innovators, athletes and leaders, is at risk. At least 70% of the world’s population will experience trauma once in their lifetime and 6% are likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – this statistic is potentially understated. In 2024, only 2% of national healthcare budgets were allocated to mental health support, approximating USD 2.70 and 13.5 healthcare workers per person. Access to mental healthcare support services is significantly constrained.
This decade started with “survive” and quickly pivoted to “thrive” – “New Normal” fast forwarded to “Next Normal”. More than halfway through in 2026, what I term the “Evolving Normal” is just over three years away. We have no visibility of what is coming and no blueprint of how to get there. All we know is that we are on this bullet train to 2030. Artificial Intelligence and humanoids will change the world of work, daily routines and communication norms. Current events will change global structures, systems and scientific discoveries will transform our reality. In response. resilience now demands adaptability, agility and a healthy dose of curiosity. While adaptability steers the direction of change, agility gives momentum to the form and speed. With adaptability plus agility, resilience can find a new flow. The mind, body and emotions are equally and actively involved in this process – this must be acknowledged.
When a person loses the motivation and will to face headwinds, coherence slips. Daily performance, decision-making ability and emotional regulation start to slide, harming a person’s sense self-worth, confidence and overall sense of belonging. Over time, the build-up of inner tension and stress show up in health risks, manifesting genetic predispositions and/or significantly compromising immunity. Resilience is not in everyone’s DNA code. Culture, environment, genetics, diet and lifestyle influence the resilience quotient. Baby boomers have a “get on with it” mindset, Gen Z’s and Alpha’s may feel that this approach lacks purpose and authenticity, while Gen X and Y keep their “sleeves rolled up”, stretching their resilience muscle to the point of fatigue. Knowing your physiological baseline helps to inform your resilience strengthening strategy.
The current pace of change can be exciting and, at the same time, extremely overwhelming. The unfolding future demands digging deep, to find extraordinary levels of mental, emotional and physical stamina to stay focussed. In 1999 and the early 2000’s, the Y2K phenomena triggered similar existential concerns for organisations and individuals. This time, from Baby Boomers to Generation Alpha, we are in this together – time to co-create and cultivate collective resilience.
Reimagination of our world starts with reimagining ourselves. Resilience needs company, in person, through conversations and connected spaces. Individualism must make way for creative collaboration to evolve the resilience model so that, after “survive and thrive”, success can finally “arrive”.
You have a part to play. The question is: what role do you choose to play in the “Evolving Normal” and what can you do, from today, to bounce forward to your future Self?
Roshni Gajjar is a chartered accountant, strategy consultant and Resilient Performance coach, working at the intersection of strategy, sport and health to enable Resilient Success.