How to Stay Sane in a Time of Uncertainty

We are currently living in uncertain times. COVID-19 or the Corona Virus has the world at a standstill. 

People are working from home, schools are closed, malls are closed, hair and nail salons are closed, no one is flying in and out of the country, and our health care system is being stretched to its capacity. 

You might be struggling to focus on work with everything going on in the world right now.

You might be trying to balance working and homeschooling your children.

Or if you’re like me, you have a toddler who doesn’t know how to play by themselves yet and wants to be in your presence all day. 

Working through uncertain and stressful times isn’t easy. In fact, it can feel almost impossible when your mind is so taken up by fear and anxiety. 

If you’re struggling right now, the good news is that you are not alone. We are all feeling the stress and anxiety that comes with not knowing when life will go back to how we know it (if it goes back to normal). 

Below you will find some tips that you can follow that may help you. We’ll look at some of the most effective ways to work through stress and uncertainty.

Practice Gratitude

It’s hard to not pay attention to what is going on in the world right now. If you go on social media, turn on your television, or listen to the radio, everyone is talking about COVID-19.

It contributes to your stress and anxiety around this pandemic and the constant reminder can make it difficult to find gratitude in your heart. We all just want our lives to go back to normal.

But, did you know that practicing gratitude can make a big difference in how you feel? Studies have shown that writing a list of the things you are grateful for, can drastically improve your mood.

By focusing on the things you’re grateful for, it trains the brain to think more positively. You’ll switch your focus from the bad things going on right now, to the good. 

Here are some tips to help you practice gratitude: 

1. Search for the Positive. 

We all may be going through a difficult time, but it shouldn’t stop us from seeing positive things. 

• What are you most grateful for right now?
• What are you most happy about right now?
• What do you have to look forward to? 

 Working from home may be challenging, but at least you’re safe and have a home to work from. 

Combine that with homeschool and it may seem like the world is against you, but think about the extra time you are getting to spend with your children. 

We might have so much time on our hands now that most of us have a shelter in place order in place, but you can use this time to gain experience in one of your passions or find what makes you happy. 

By focusing on the positive aspects of your life, you’ll find areas in which you can still feel thankful.

2. Treasure the Small Details. 

It’s easy to lose sight of the small details if you’re feeling overwhelmed by what is going on in the world right now. However, if you learn to treasure the details, you’ll welcome gratitude back into your life.

•  Are you happy with an organizing project you decided to do since you now have the time? 
• Are you proud of how your child was able to grasp a math concept you had to teach them?  
• Did you finish a long book? 

These small details can make a big difference in your gratitude levels.

You can show your appreciation for the little things by making a list of everything that needs your love.

3. Search for Joy. 

It’s important that we find joy even when you feel there is nothing to smile about. You can add joy to your daily schedule by watching your favorite comedy on Netflix, reading a romantic-comedy book, or sharing jokes with friends online.

Personally, If I feel like I need a good laugh I go on Facebook and find a funny post. 

Laughter is the best medicine to help us all deal with this pandemic and feel gratitude despite what’s going on. 

4. Put Your Pain in Perspective. 

It’s important that we avoid getting lost in the negative emotions attached to the time that we are currently living in. 

Perspective can help you discover that things can be worse than they are. Yes we are all at home, but think about how many more people would be affected by the disease if we weren’t. 

Perspective can help you see how fortunate you are if your family hasn’t been touched by this disease. Unfortunately, I know many people that have lost loved ones due to COVID and I have loved ones who are fighting this disease currently. 

Perspective can help you understand that everyone’s lives are currently being affected by this pandemic. You’re not alone, and you can still feel grateful for other things in your life.

5. Understand the Power of Change. 

We are living in an uncertain time and have no idea what the future holds. Our day to day lives are changing right before our eyes. We can’t just get up and go shopping at the mall or have a nice dinner at a restaurant. 

While this notion is hard to accept, let’s look at the positive changes that are happening as a result of this pandemic: we are more appreciative of careers that have often been looked down upon- like fast-food workers, janitors, garbage men, and store clerks. We appreciate the work that our educators do now that we have to also wear the hat of the teacher. 

People are also showing more compassion towards each other by cooking for their elderly neighbor and overall being more kind to each other. 

So rather than looking at the hardships that this pandemic has caused us all, we can feel gratitude by recognizing that the changes occurring can lead to better things. 

Action Item: 

Each day, write down 5-10 things that you are grateful for. It could be people, items (like your home), and even things that you have yet. Try it for one week and then notice how you feel after constantly practicing gratitude. 

You can write in a notebook or download my Gratitude Journal

Try to Establish a Routine

Most of us are not used to working from home or if we do work from home, we are not used to having everyone else home with us. It can be really stressful trying to navigate time spent working and time spent doing other things like teaching the kids, household chores, and leisure time. So, by creating a routine, it’s going to help to ease some of that uncertainty and stress.

One way to help with establishing a routine is by developing a schedule. Get up and go to bed at the same time during the week (that includes the kids!). Get the kids ready to start virtual school and start your work at the same time every day.  

Make sure you schedule breaks throughout the day. You can schedule daily walks or move your workouts to the middle of the day so you move your body. Something I struggled with when I first started working from home was not sitting in front of the computer all day. 

Also, set the time that you will finish working each day and stick to it. Just because you are working from home doesn’t mean that you have to work long hours. 

Tip:  Put it in your schedule in your calendar so you stick to the schedule. You can utilize Google Calendar or even your iCal. 

Action Item: 

Analyze how you’ve been spending your time working from home thus far. If you still feel overwhelmed by everything you should change up how you are doing things. Create a routine that is beneficial to both you and your family members. 

You can download my 30-minutes to Successful Routines workbook below.

Utilize Support That is Available

One of the good things about this uncertain time is that it is impacting everyone. This means there is a lot of support available out there.

It could be you need to spend more time connecting with friends and family. Zoom is a great way to stay connected. You can schedule a Friday night happy hour with your closest friends. You can have a family meeting with all of your family members. 

I recently had a Zoom call with my mom’s side of the family. It was great because a lot of my family lives in other states. We all got on the call, checked in with each other, and one of my cousin’s who is a DJ played some music. We jammed, had a drink, and virtually spent time with each other. 

You can also utilize FaceTime or Whatsapp to video call family and friends. If all the people you want to speak with have an iPhone, you can FaceTime up to 32 people at once. Whatsapp is also great for people who live in other countries. 

It is hard not being able to see those you love face to face, but with technology, we have the option to communicate with each other virtually. 

Also, if you are struggling with issues like your fiances, or worried about how the current situation will play out, donít hesitate to seek emotional support from a trained therapist for example. Online Therapy is a good virtual source that you can utilize.

Action Item: 

Schedule some time to have a virtual happy hour with your friends or family. If you feel inclined to, get dressed up, put on some make-up, and enjoy being virtually social with people that you love. 

Focus on Self-Care

Finally, try and focus on self-care during these uncertain and stressful times. This will really help to reduce the stress you feel. 

I want you to know that self-care looks different for everyone. You might be on social media and see posts that say that if you don’t walk away from this time with a hobby or skill, you lack discipline (or something like that). I am here to say that while I do think this is the perfect time to find your passion but if you choose to do nothing, IT’S OKAY!

That is a form of self-care. Maybe you have a demanding job and this time away from the job is allowing you the necessary time you need to yourself. If binge-watching Tiger King on Netflix relaxes you then go ahead, girl! 

The thing is that we are all experiencing this together and we all are processing this pandemic differently. 

You might choose to decide to exercise regularly. It is a fantastic way to deal with the stress you feel. You might also focus on things that relax you each day, such as meditation, reading or listening to music.

The point is to practice self-care as much as possible, even if that means doing nothing. With everything going on, we all need to be less stressed out during this time. 

How to Take Action: 

Find a self-care routine that resonates with you and commit to doing it as often as you see fit. It could be every day or once a week, it doesn’t matter as long as you feel less stressed afterward. 

Also, if you are unsure of the self-care ritual that you would like to implement, I have a workbook that will not only help you figure out how to practice self-love, but also give you some self-care ideas. 

Overall, it’s hard not to stress and fear what might happen during a pandemic. However, the tips above can really help you to manage those feelings. Remember to be kind to yourself and donít expect too much from yourself, particularly when you first transition to working from home.

Related Post: 8 Easy Ways to Boost Self-Love

Tips and Action Recap: 

1. Practice gratitude. Write down 5-10 things you are grateful for each day. Free Gratitude Printable here. 
2. Try to establish a routine. Create a routine that is beneficial to both you and your family members. Download my 30-minutes to Successful Routines workbook here. 
3. Utilize support that is available. Seek support by scheduling some time to have a virtual happy hour with your friends or family.
4. Focus on self-care. Find a self-care ritual that works for you. Download my Loving Yourself workbook here.

Let me know in the comments below how you are holding up during this pandemic. Remember don’t be hard on yourself and reach out if you need support.

okay loves, see you in my next post

Peace,