Learning new skillsLearning new skills and having a growth mindsetGrowth mindset could be two key factors for adapting to changes. In particular, these factors may help buffer the negative effects of a pandemicPandemic, such as experiencing loneliness and decreased mental well-being from being socially isolated. Our research team conducted three longitudinal studies during the COVID-19COVID-19 pandemicPandemic to investigate this idea. Through a survey across two time points over the first year of the pandemicPandemic, the first study found that worse subjective executive functioning during the COVID-19COVID-19 pandemic predicted worse mental health across adulthood. However, learning new skillsLearning new skills may have helped older adults adapt better to changes during the pandemicPandemic to increase mental health. The second study was a survey across three time points during two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that having a growth mindsetGrowth mindset was generally beneficial for mental health, particularly for older adults who had engaged in an intense learning intervention prior to the start of the pandemicPandemic. The third study was a technology intervention conducted with low-income older adults in collaboration with a community organization. We found that digital independence predicted mental health outcomes. Taken together, our findings suggest that being open to and engaging in learning new skillsLearning new skills, as well as having a growth mindsetGrowth mindset, may be beneficial to the long-term well-being of adults, especially older adults, when faced with drastic changes that require adaptation.