Coping with Uncertainty

Photo by Rob Barsony from FreeImages

The year 2020 has been one full of challenges and disruptions to normal routines. These challenges and changes to routine create uncertainty, which can lead to anxiety. However, there are ways to respond to uncertainty which can minimize the amount of anxiety we experience.

Three research-based ways to cope with the uncertainties of pandemic life. (link) 

"In this moment, we are figuratively in the dark, and many people feel they're drowning in unanswered questions and the anxiety they provoke.

When will a vaccine be available? When will schools reopen (or close again)? Who will win the election? Should I let my child do sports? Is my job safe, or for those less fortunate, when will I find a new job? How many more times will I see "your connection is unstable" during an important video call? ...

If you get stuck replaying the unanswered questions over and over and let anxiety guide your thinking, you're likely to fill in the gaps with worst-case scenarios. A tendency to catastrophize and assign negative and threatening interpretations when situations are uncertain or ambiguous is a hallmark of anxiety disorders. In fact, "intolerance of uncertainty," the tendency to fear the unknown and find the lack of certainty highly distressing and uncomfortable, is a strong predictor of anxiety in both adults and children and adolescents. ...

First, I can choose to believe in my ability to manage whatever will come, so it is OK to take it a day at a time. ...

Second, I can remind myself that uncertainty does not guarantee bad things will happen; it just means I don't know yet. The anxiety I feel from the uncertainty does not actually mean a negative outcome is more likely. ... It just feels that way because of a common tendency, especially among anxious individuals, to think that just having a negative thought makes it more likely to come true. Psychologists call this thought-action-fusion.

Third, I can recognize that I cope with uncertainty in other parts of life all the time. ... So I've had lots of practice tolerating uncertainty, which tells me I can handle uncertainty even though it's hard. I've done it before; I can do it again.

Thinking differently about your ability to manage uncertainty is a skill that can improve with practice."