Managing uncertainty in everyday life and work is the key to survival in a pandemic
Nona Walia
SLUG: GROW FROM HARDSHIP
Living with uncertainty can be unnerving and anxiety-inducing, but how you cope with it will reflect your grit.
We are at a time when our bread-making is in fatigue, our wellness posturing is stressed and overnight oats aren't inspiring anymore. Coping with uncertainty is now endlessly tiresome. Managing uncertainty is the key to survival in a pandemic. When certainty is questioned, your stress response goes haywire, instantly arousing your fight-or-flight reaction.What you need is a deterministic approach and the ability to make good decisions. In unpredictable environment, your natural mental agility fails you, it's time to embrace uncertainty and adopt a more probabilistic approach. You need a personal strategy in unpredictable times. Learn how to stay relevant and continuously update your position. Scientists have found that job uncertainty, for example, takes a greater toll on your health than actually losing the job. Now is the time to plan for some unexpected goals. Coronavirus has caused a mass emotional event, says Roger Patulny, an associate professor of sociology at Wollongong University. To stay on top of the curve, play the low-risk and easy game right now. Certainty comes with planning, processes, and reliable environment. In uncertainty we change the rules. We need to inoculate ourselves against negative emotions -- the fear of uncertainty is a big one. According to grief expert David Kessler has explained how, we’re all experiencing a “loss of normalcy; the fear of economic toll; the loss of connection,” and how “we are not used to this kind of collective grief in the air.” Marriages are stressed, people are losing their livelihood, kids are cranky -- there's a roller coaster of emotional stress. It’s hard to find acceptance or meaning when we don’t have any idea when this era of prolonged uncertainty might end. We are witnessing an emotional epidemiology. Right now, the biggest emotional block is dealing with mass uncertainty. In this scenario, you cannot always keep a sunny disposition. Here's how you can cope with uncertainty:
Accept the illusion of certainty: We can't control situations. Accept it. You will not know what will happen next. Be prepared. Certainty gives us comfort. It gives us routines. We are witnessing a loss of certainty. Acceptance is overwhelming. Create your own coping mechanisms.
Worrying won't help: The first result of uncertainty is -- endless worry. It is useless, and can be highly toxic. Stay in present. Everyone is struggling with unknown.
Tolerate discomfort: The comforts of modern life were addictive. Now, shake the comfort. Love the discomfort. Train yourself to live with uncertainty. Life will be lived outside the comfort zone. Be super gentle with yourself. There's evidence of human capacity to creatively turn life’s negative aspects into something positive or constructive.
Tsunami of Complaining: When we don't get the comfort we desire or are used to there's a tsunami of complaining. You could be -- “I’m bored.” "Angry" “I want to go to a restaurant." Complaining is therapy. Make your complaints good. Learn to be a better complainer. It's your coping tool against uncertainty.
Be vigilant: The trick here is to hold on to a ‘stability rocks of your life’ a practice that adds something reliable to your life like a personal ritual. ‘Stability rocks’ are really grounding and help you to remember that there are some things that are within your control. Your own routines and rituals will become really important at this time.