FROM WORRIER TO WARRIOR: TIPS FOR DEALING WITH UNCERTAINTY - PART 1

You are seven weeks into the COVID-19 quarantine and the level of uncertainty has not subsided. Will you be allowed to go to the pool or beach this summer? Will your kids have summer camp? What will happen in September? Will school still be virtual? When can you get back to the office? What will you do about commuting on public transportation?

Uncertainty can cause anxiety. With so much still unknown, you could easily head into a downward spiral of fear and despair. The good news? There are many ways you can shift your thinking away from being fixated on the negative. I have three favorites that I will share over the next few weeks.

Here is the first:

WHAT IF TO WHAT IS

As a human, you are wired to worry. We focus on “What if?” and worst-case scenarios. This was critical for our survival at a time when we were cavemen out hunting (What if a lion is behind that bush waiting to eat me?)

In today’s world, it sometimes has the undesired effect of taking a potential future stressor and bringing it into the present. We tend towards “catastrophic” thinking where we go from ‘this might be bad’ to ‘this will be devastating.’

It’s not that your concern is unfounded. Rather, it’s the idea that the worst-case scenario is likely to happen. This is faulty thinking that you can easily start to believe is the truth.

If you are aware of this, you can focus on staying present. Consider “What is.” What do you know is true today? What is happening right now? How can you use that to move forward?

My colleague, Author and Mindfulness Teacher, Cory Muscara, has a 3-minute short video you can find here to help you shift your mindset back to “What is.”

I’ll be sending out additional strategies over the next few weeks to help you shift your mindset and better manage uncertainty.

What has worked for you? How have you been able to reduce anxiety in these challenging times?