LocationsResilience in Argentina: Strategies for adapting and building well-being
January 23, 2025
In an increasingly complex world, marked by uncertainty and a lack of security in different ways, people face the constant challenge of adapting3 and coping with the hardships imposed by a changing context. Without a doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic showed that everything can change in the blink of an eye and emerged as a clear example of the work re-skilling that people had to do to survive; to learn new digital practices at an accelerated pace to communicate, work, pay for services, buy what was necessary, etc., and to create or participate in new spaces that promote community dynamics in contexts of isolation, among other issues. In Argentina, a country marked by successive crises, resilience appears as a cross-cutting theme in the interviews conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Accelerator Laboratory, the Co_Lab, as part of a regional research4 to identify how the experiences and strategies implemented contributed to adaptation in the face of multifaceted and fluctuating challenges. Here we share some findings.
Adaptation in the Face of Uncertainty
During the field research, the main concerns identified revolved around the difficulty of making ends meet and the search for greater stability on different levels: economic, work and emotional, among others. It is therefore understandable that a central fear is not being able to meet basic needs (food, housing, transportation, etc.); this fear is heightened by the rising cost of living, job insecurity, and the difficulty in accessing new opportunities that allow progress and long-term planning. The accounts show that repeatedly people face the need to resist, to manage as best they can with the resources they have, or to reinvent themselves given the recurring crises. This means that people live by adopting different strategies, such as doing occasional work to keep their income, and developing new ventures; they also resort to other more practical subsistence strategies, such as soup kitchens. Having to constantly adapt requires personal effort and is highly exhausting. It evokes the image of “juggling”, and it results in having to interrupt projects or affect life trajectories.
Strategies for Well-Being
People, faced with a context that repeatedly tests them, are forced to deploy different strategies, which are shaped along the way, to gain security and well-being. Although meeting basic needs is a necessary condition for well-being, it is not enough. People value two fundamental dimensions: health and family and other significant social relationships. At the health level, there is growing concern about mental health as a fundamental aspect of quality of life. The accounts pointed out the importance of paying attention to emotions and being aware of them to recognize the source of their discomfort and their possible effects in order to promote the ability to anticipate responses. In fact, in the field research, going to therapy was considered a need, despite its significant cost for some people’s economy, and the privilege it represents for those who cannot afford therapy because they are in situations of greater socioeconomic vulnerability was also mentioned. In that regard, acquiring or establishing healthy habits and doing rewarding activities to disconnect from the problems people face are also valued. Among these self-care strategies, paying attention to early body signs and leading a healthy lifestyle, including exercises, a healthy diet and good sleep, among others, are mentioned. Likewise, outdoor activities play a fundamental role in providing a well-being that is sometimes considered lost. Beyond appreciating the natural environment, the connection with nature is valued as it not only helps to reduce anxiety and stress, but it also provides spaces for reflection.
Family and community relationships are crucial in building resilience as they underpin the ability to overcome successive issues. Broadly speaking, and in line with some of the literature on social capital, close ties provide well-being because they offer containment, support, and a range of resources, while community dynamics foster reciprocity and collaboration. The feeling of connection and being able to spend time with family and close friends are crucial in quality of life. On the other hand, a lack of time or control over one's time is a major source of frustration. In this sense, people particularly value a peaceful life and environments that recreate community dynamics —in different contexts— where problems can be shared, greater access to resources for addressing them is available, and solidarity and collaboration are fostered.
Lessons for the Future
When reflecting on these matters, the COVID-19 pandemic emerged as an unprecedented challenge that, in retrospect, brought valuable learnings. Among the most notable lessons learned are the value of personal connections, the importance of a holistic approach to health, and the need to adapt quickly to unexpected changes to ensure survival and a better future. However, resilience is not an isolated individual process, but rather involves a collective effort that includes communities, institutions, and public policies; moreover, it underscores the need to build more resilient and adaptive systems to face future crises. In this regard, it is essential to prioritize mental health as a public issue and promote adequate and equitable access to the services and resources that address it. It is also necessary to foster and articulate local responses —complementary to large-scale initiatives— since they allow solutions to be adapted to their specific contexts and needs. These learnings can become strategic and make it easy for individuals and groups to overcome adversity and progress in a context marked by uncertainty.
3 I would like to thank Julieta Mulki and Ema Balaguer for their contributions to this text.
4 Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean (RBLAC) launched a regional study to identify how personal experiences and implemented strategies contribute to the ability of individuals to adapt to complex and changing challenges. In Argentina, a qualitative survey was conducted with semi-structured interviews. The intentional sample consisted of 18 people, from urban and rural areas, equally distributed between women and men, between 18 and 46 years old, with an average age of 29 years old. In socioeconomic terms, it was designed to include two profiles: one with basic needs met and an average educational level of secondary school or university, and the second with greater difficulties in maintaining their quality of life, with an average educational level of secondary school of the head of the family, where purchasing decisions are essentially guided by price, and the main expenses are for food, transportation, personal care and payment of services. From the field research, patterns were recognized, and largely shared findings emerged.