Dealing with uncertainty

I’ve always been the type of person who does not handle uncertainty well. Or unexpected things. They actually freak me out.

But even if you are the type of person who handles uncertainty well, you can’t be prepared for things like a pandemic. When everything is changing so fast, that you can’t even follow what is happening around the world. People are panic buying, people are losing their jobs or they are left with no salary. You can’t live your life as you would normally. No family visits, no gyms, no cafes, no restaurants and the worst of all: no toilet rolls. How can someone adapt to a change which no one thought was possible?

My experience is that it’s hard and you need to have an adjusting period. In fact, I’m not even sure I’m over the adjusting period yet. This is the time when your life turns upside down and your daily routine goes out the window. You find yourself in a weird situation where everything is so different than the usual ( and not just because your hands started to break down from all the handwashing). In the adjusting period, it is normal to watch more news, be on social media all day and not doing anything in general. It is normal to feel anxious, frustrated and overwhelmed. It is also normal to think that your life has been ruined because you can’t do whatever you have planned for the next few months.

The most important thing to do is to accept this situation. You need to accept that it’s happening and there’s nothing you can do about it (except for staying at home, of course). It is beyond all of us. It isn’t worth worrying about something that you can’t do anything about.

After you got used to the situation you can build new habits. But you don’t have to be a productivity queen and learn 5 new languages, do endless home exercises or complete another degree online. It is perfectly okay to let yourself do things that make you happy and calm. Actually, I think it’s more important than being productive all the time.

Take this time as an opportunity to do things you’ve always wanted. Think of this time that you can spend home as a gift.

As you slowly get used to the situation, you will begin to build new habits. You will consume less social media and less news. You will get used to “visiting” your friend and family on Skype and having long phone conversations. The situation that felt unimaginable will become the new normal.

And one day, when it’s all over, we are going to go out for a coffee with a friend and we will be able to hug our families, and that is going to feel amazing.

Keep safe,

K