Prescription for Resilience: Coping with COVID

Feb 26, 2021

The global pandemic has led to devastating loss and isolation for Canadians and people around the world. The challenges have been immense, and we are all looking for ways to cope. One of the greatest resources we have right now is one another.

Prescription for Resilience: Coping with COVID is a special series of stories presented by CBC Radio One’s White Coat, Black Art. Canadians share what they have done to cope and where they have found resilience in their daily lives, in both big and small ways. The hope is that these stories will provide inspiration that can be applied to your own life.

Some of these stories were featured in the White Coat, Black Art programs. Listen: Part one | Listen: Part two.

How teaching Urdu to her granddaughters gave this grandmother purpose in a pandemic

‘This is generational stuff, this is something they’ll remember for life,’ says Zahida Murtaza

How faith and family helped CFL player Henoc Muamba cope after losing his mother-in-law to COVID-19

FIRST PERSON | With career on hold and baby on the way, the death of a loved one made him re-evaluate his role in the family

1,000 km and up: 'Something I could control,' says Toronto woman of daily walks during pandemic

'It's a sense of accomplishment that makes the rest of the day approachable,' says Catherine Harris

This Toronto mom was juggling 3 kids, 2 jobs and community work — then she got COVID. Here's how she managed

FIRST PERSON | 'It did test my anxiety and my limits,' says Anna-Kay Brown

How running helped me get through pandemic isolation, and the grief of losing my father

PERSONAL ESSAY | After Chantelle Richmond lost her father to cancer in December 2019, the pandemic cut her off from her family

How daily walks help this B.C. woman, 97, take the pandemic in stride

FIRST PERSON | ‘You accept you’re getting older, but you can still do many things,’ says Sheila White

Painting through the pandemic: How art helped me through grief and loss

PERSONAL ESSAY | Author Manjushree Thapa picked up a paint brush and reconnected with what had brought joy in her youth.

Toronto woman's path to resilience during pandemic goes through her front door

'I just wanted to participate in our community,' says Heidi Tsao

What working in an Antarctic station taught this researcher about coping with isolation

Q&A | 'We are human.... It’s OK to struggle,’ says Dr. Nick Smith

How art and community service help an Ontario woman battle pandemic loneliness

‘I put everything I have in my brain in them. I’m very eclectic,’ says Jennifer Eastham

How writing a song a week helps Halifax musician cope with grief

When George Woodhouse lost his father to cancer in May, the pandemic made the loss even harder to bear

How 7 months stuck at an airport provided a Syrian refugee with skills to survive a pandemic

‘When I touched the lowest moment in my life, I understood what hope is,’ says Hassan Al Kontar

After a tragic accident, a young Manitoba nurse offers inspiration through social media

'Hopefully somebody else in a bad situation could laugh at my videos,' she says of TikTok success

How a Calgary musician gave the gift of music to help relieve pandemic anxiety

Concert harpist Gianetta Baril spent two months touring in a van she converted into a rolling concert hall

Vancouver artist turns to music to fill in void created by pandemic

AUDIO | Artist Erin Despard says listening to music allows ‘your body to relax and restore itself’

Listen

Sheila White, 97, stays active and connected to her community throughout the pandemic.

Life is nothing but one option: to keep moving, to wake up every morning and start chasing your dream again. Hassan Al Kontar A former Syrian refugee, Al Kontar made headlines around the world in 2018 when he was stranded in Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur International Airport for nearly seven months. He says his time in the airport taught him many of the survival skills that have helped him cope with the current pandemic.

PHOTOS: Finding resilience

Anna-Kay Brown with her children: 12-year-old Anthony, six-year-old Arianna, and two-year-old Amaiyah. (Submitted by Anna-Kay Brown) — Anna-Kay Brown with her children: 12-year-old Anthony, six-year-old Arianna, and two-year-old Amaiyah.

Chantelle Richmond with her husband Ian, and children Maya and William, at the Springbank Road Races in London, Ont., in Oct. 2016. (Submitted by Chantelle Richmond)

Brianna Seewald holds up the halo device. — Brianna Seewald's social media followers have been waiting to see the removal of the halo device.

Manjushree Thapa's sketch of a dragonfly accompanied by a note: 'I love painting. I'm not sure why I ever stopped.'

Clockwise from top left: Anna-Kay Brown, shown here with her children, learned the importance of self-care and how to make time for family. (Submitted by Anna-Kay Brown); Chantelle Richmond, shown here with her family, turned to running to cope with loss and isolation. (Submitted by Chantelle Richmond); Manjushree Thapa’s art helped her cope with grief (Manjushree Thapa); Brianna Seewald used her recovery to entertain and inspire her social media followers. (Submitted by Brianna Seewald); Jennifer Eastham used art to battle pandemic loneliness. (Submitted by Jennifer Eastham)

LISTEN: White Coat, Black Art's Prescription for Resilience special

CBC Radio’s White Coat, Black Art | Producers: Sujata Berry, Rachel Sanders, Dawna Dingwall, Host: Dr. Brian Goldman

Lead digital producer: Ruby Buiza, Writers: Paul Gallant, Ruby Buiza, Copy editors: Jonathan Ore, Mary Vallis | Video producer: Andrew Nguyen, Videographer: Curtis Allen | Web design and development: Geoff Isaac, Art director: Ben Shannon