I'm Dr. Paul Pures, Psychologist in the
Child Youth Mental Health Program at
McMaster Children's Hospital. We're experiencing a stressful time in
history, a time of uncertainty. The
coronavirus is a real threat to our
well-being. Our brain is activated by the
signs of danger and it wants to keep us
safe. So, we think: what if this happens?
What if that happens? Uncertainty gets
fuelled. As we think about the future we
can't be sure how things are going to
turn out. There seems to be more
questions than answers. To cope with
uncertainty, we have to tolerate it and
invest in what we can control.
Accepting and tolerating uncertainty is
hard to do. Tolerating uncertainty is a
challenge for everyone, and in particular
for people who struggle with anxiety.
Accepting and tolerating means, "I don't
like this, but I can stand it."
Accepting and tolerating means not
judging ourselves for feeling unsettled,
but telling ourselves, "It's okay. It's
normal to feel unsettled in a time like
this." Separating what we can't control from
what we can control is also important. We
can't control how long this whole thing
is going to last, but we can limit
information we're exposed to that can
fuel our worries. We can invest time and
things that will recharge our battery.
Like: we can do our part and follow the
recommendations of Public Health, we can
get groceries for people who need to
stay at home, we can be kind to others
and connect with the people we love.
Investing and what we can control will
help us cope better with this time of
uncertainty.
