How to Stay Sane When Everything's Uncertain (psychology survival guide)

It's been a tough week. I hope this video helps.

Psychologists suggest thinking of 'tolerance of uncertainty' as a muscle. The more you exercise it by practicing introducing small amounts of uncertainty into your everyday life, the more your tolerance for uncertainty in your life increases. We are all dealing with a lot of uncertainty with the Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. Please stay safe, STAY HOME and take care of your mental health, too.



REFERENCES 📚

#stayhome #anxiety #covid19 #coronavirus #psychology #uncertainty

[braincraft]

It's been a tough week. I've been trying to build up my "tolerance of uncertainty" muscle and I hope this helps. Where are you self-isolating? How is social distancing going? I'm curious!

And we'll be back to regular videos very shortly 😁

[Riema]

I've been living uncertainty for like .. my entire life !
I guss there is a bright side for living in war zone ( Iraq ) it helps build resilience and tolerance for uncertainty 😁
Enjoy staying at home ❤🌱
* irrelevant advice ( but necessary) : try growing sprouts as you're staying home they will help you enjoy passing time !

[ELYESSS]

Vanessa: try going for a walk without checking the weather.

Also Vanessa: please stay home.

[TravisGilbert]

YES!
so glad you're making videos. I'm a pretty anxious person it always helps to know I can improve it.
also, you were one of the inspirations for my channel!

[lucash]

Thanks for the sanity break, Vanessa. You're doing a great job!

[jellyfishjelly]

Love how the list summarized my yesterday. Sent bunch of emails, went for a walk trough nearby forests without phone or orientation skills and let a friend secure any sustenance for me since she wasn't going. Foraged for a bit, got semi-lost, walked for 8 hours before returning home after dusk not in the mood for news of any kind.

[PracticalInspiration]

Great share and very relevant. One thing I've found that really helps me is that I accept that pretty much everything in life has uncertainty to it and therefore i's just a part of life. It's a double edged sword though, as while I choose to almost embrace it, others can become afraid from it and develop challenges (e.g. developing agoraphobia or something similar)

[hamzahcovers]

it's been a year and I'm still anxious everyday

[springbok]

Here in South Africa the lockdown is pretty strict and only half way through it. No walking dogs, no food deliveries, no jogging, no restaurants etc. Byt if this is what it takes to flatten the curve, then it’s worth it for now.

[dropmelon]

It never really sinks in how devastating this pandemic is for me.
Apart from not being able to celebrate my birthday, nothing really change tbh.

[JediBunny]

The messages of this video are so important right now. Thank you so much Vanessa for sharing this!

Everyone please take care of yourselves and that includes our mental health just as much as physical 💙🌎💙

[charlesphilips]

I listened to a covid-19 podcast before going to bed last night. That was a very bad idea. Gave me nightmares.
Stay safe Vanessa, I love your show.

[cruzcflores]

Thank you for posting this. Keeping safe mentally is so important right now and it's easy to neglect your emotional health

[seanmccann]

Hi Vanessa, delighted to see you back here again. Greetings from Ireland, wishing you and all your loved ones good health and peace in this distressing time. An old Irish proverb tells us that people live in each others shadow (or shelter) and now is the time to extend our shelter, help, support and kindness to our fellow human beings. Keep safe and know that people you may never meet in person are thinking of you and wishing you well. Go dte tu slan to-go safely.

[captainmaay]

« In the end, everything is going to be all right ». Vanessa, thank you, I needed to hear that. And if that can be of any help, I find that « living in the present » is VERY helpful. To me at least. As much as possible not thinking about the « indefinite », the « uncertain », about what comes next, but focusing on the now and making the best of it. Sending you my best comforting thoughts so your isolation feels less difficult, we’re doing the right thing ❤️

[bjornmu]

I can relate to that 4th point. The last week I've been reading news only twice a day: just after breakfast and around 5-6 PM.

[lowwastehighmelanin]

I do have counterpoint to that last bit: you don't owe it anyone other than your children to be a source of reassurance. Don't compromise your mental health to make other people feel better. We're all stuck indoors rn; it's going to be like this for a while yet. Take care of you first or you can't take care of anyone else.

Also uncertainty is not the same as anxiety and I really need folks in the media to stop conflating the two. As someone who has GAD and some comorbidities, I find I'm handling this situation perfectly fine because my brain has literally been preparing me for this my entire life. The shoe finally dropped and I weirdly feel some form of relief and validation for that. Everyone I know with an anxiety disorder is echoing this.

I do REALLY think everyone needs to minimize time online because people's attitudes are getting out of hand. Just because you're not going to run into whoever you're being nasty to this week or month doesn't make it OK to be really mean online. The internet is our collective public square and everything on it is forever. Don't get confused about that.

[addysaw]

That's some great solid advice 👍👍

Apart from the last statement "please stay home" which just perpetuates the anxiety 🤣

People, PLEASE get OUT! It's vital for your health

[_Smarf_]

Thanks for the help! You are so kindhearted! Sending love and support your way! 🥰💖

[THETRIVIALTHINGS]

In my experience, I've coped with uncertainty by not trying to control things that I can't. I had developed a very negative mindset to the point of becoming a people hater, when I tried to control what I couldn't, then failed and got angry, that anger festered and became rage. It was toxic. But when I came across this amazing individual, my perspective slowly began to change, and when that happened, I developed this mindset of only focusing on things I can change and make better for myself, this might sound selfish, but in the long run, focusing on things that were good for me, changed me and made me less negative and toxic, which in turn helped me be less toxic and less hateful to people around me, with the new positive perspective in life, uncertainty was something that was inevitable and it didn't matter, because there were plenty of things that were certain and focusing on them, meant bettering my life and myself.

Also, I'd like to add that some things only appear uncertain at first, so initially when that happens, we should try and find a solution to it, if there is one, then your problems are solves, if there isn't, you at least tried your best, but didn't force it either, so nothing ventured, nothing gained.