All of us can agree that things have become too uncertain of late. Things are happening really fast and our lives – as well as those of our loved ones – seem to be at crossroads. We aren’t sure what the next day holds in store for us, leave alone the next month.
Since we aren’t exactly sure how things will pan out a few months from now, most of us are feeling stressed. Unfortunately, that is how things are and try as we might we have to teach ourselves to adapt to them. Only then can we bet on ourselves to remain sane in these insane times.
Here are two tips and tricks to deal with uncertainty:
#1: Narrow down your focus to what is good
Since the constant stream of bad news has made all of us feel worried or stressed out, we tend to shut down and ruminate on our worries. That approach forces us to zoom in on things that can go wrong, and takes our focus away from things that are good in our lives.
To defeat this negative mindset, do one thing: write down 4 things in your life that you’re grateful for. These things might be as big as the presence of your loved ones around you. Or they can be as small as the presence of an automatic hand sanitizer dispenser in your room.
Whatever it is you’re grateful for, write it down. Then place it somewhere where you can easily see it – like on a hand sanitizer dispenser stand. Visibility of your ‘gratitude journal’ is critical as it will help you quickly consult it the moment your thoughts start going south.
#2: Reach out to someone and help them
Given the fact that self-isolation has become a norm of late, you shouldn’t venture out if it isn’t safe. What you should do, instead, is reach out to your loved ones, family members, or friends via the internet. Ask them how they are dealing with this situation.
Once you have heard them explain their worries to you, engage in a brainstorming session with them in an effort to come up with a solution. Sure, you cannot make this pandemic go away, but you can help change the other person’s outlook towards it.
In today’s uncertain times, merely nudging the other person to get out of the ‘doom-and-gloom’ mindset will be hugely beneficial to them. Doing that will make you relaxed as well as science tells us that the secret to our happiness is helping others.