5 Ways To Deal With Uncertainty During COVID19

The main strategy I had for handling the lockdown was simple; keep the end date in mind. So every morning after my devotional and writing in my journal I would cross the previous day off. Next, I share a positive message on my Facebook page to encourage others who may be feeling anxious about the situation. Just when I thought the end was in sight, the President comes along and asks us all to bear another 2 weeks of lockdown here in South Africa. Rather than panic and find myself getting anxious, I reminded myself that this too shall pass and turned to my 5 strategies which I have been using during this lockdown. Below I share these strategies with the hope that in addition to what you may already be doing, they may be of help to you too.

 

#1. Have A Purpose To Wake Up To

Granted during times of uncertainty you may feel like it is not time to think about long term goals like a life purpose. However, before you shut down, hear me out. You see purpose has to do with the reasons that help us get out of bed each day. Your purpose calls you and moves you to action. Having a daily purpose will not only influence your daily behavior but it will also help you maintain a positive mindset amidst the uncertainty.

I loved this quote by John C. Maxwell

\”if I prepare well today, I will not have to repair tomorrow\”. 

Waking up without a clear purpose for the day will send you down the rabbit hole of wanting to know what is happening around you. To be honest, just in case you did not know fake news is real and readily available. Unless you are intentional with what you are going to use your day for, people will set an agenda for you, and from what I know it is never a good one. This is precisely the reason that Thomas Carlyle said:

\”The person without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder\”

I am finding that during these uncertain times, being proactive and focusing on the things I can control instead of being reactive and focusing on things beyond my control like when the vaccine for this pandemic will be found is helping me. I am learning that I control what I allow to come before my eyes and into my ears. My purpose during this period is to grow my knowledge in the field of leadership. Knowing that I have a book waiting for me to divulge into gets me excited. In addition, am also working on growing my faith and starving my fears. I have a prayer group and we pray together every morning at 8:00 am. I look forward to my time with these three ladies. These two things form my purpose for this season.

#2. Practice Being Patient & Calm

If ever there is a time to grow your patience muscles it is during periods of uncertainty. I am learning that in life, some things take time and you know what? finding a vaccine for COVID-19 happens to be one of those things. Instead of focusing on the projections being given, I am praying that God intervenes and shortens the period. In the meantime, I am doing what Saint Francis De Sales asks us to do

\”Have patience with all things but first of all with yourself\”

Having patience with myself means I need to be calm and trust that things will get better. You know why? because God is in control and He cares for us His children. Being patient does not mean I remain passive. Instead, it calls for action. For now, this means washing my hands and above all staying at home even when cabin fever has the best of me.

As a family, this is the second time we are going through a time of crisis. We lived in Tunisia and experienced first hand the Arab Spring when it broke out in 2011. Our children, one is a teenager and the other a pre-teen were babies then. What worked to maintain peace amidst the gunshots that surrounded us was me and my husband remaining calm. I know that as their parents when we remain calm it gives the children security that things will be okay.

#3. Re-Discover Yourself

We may be in a time of uncertainty but what we have is a lot of time on our hands. If we decide to live through this time with intentionality then we will be able to build ourselves and come out better. You know those things you have always put on your to-do list and kept thinking one day when I have time. Well, that day is today.

As human beings, we are blessed with creativity and it is amazing what we can accomplish if we allow ourselves to dig deep. I was reading an article that said in the past, times of crises have been seedbeds for innovation and entrepreneurship. We are fortunate to have the internet during this pandemic. If used well, we can be able to do all the research we need and get ready to launch whatever innovations or ideas we may birth during this period. The words of  Fyodor Dostoyevsky come to bear here

\”The mystery of human existence lies in not just staying alive, but in finding something to live for\”

As you determine to pull through this pandemic, make time to ask yourself what gifts and talents can I bring to bear during this time? Once you have the answer or even a little clue, allow yourself to get lost in that and I assure you it may be the thing that gets you through this uncertainty.

#4. Loosen Up Abit

If you have been with me since the inception of this blog in 2016 you know that I am an advocate for routines. Well whereas routines are good and keep me organized and cut my work time in almost half, during times of uncertainty I am finding that relaxing a bit is helping me. Sam Walton said it best:

\”Loosen up and everybody around you will loosen up\”

Allow me to share some examples of how this has played out in our home. On a normal day, my alarm goes off at 5:15 am in the morning. By 5:30 am I have said my prayers and am in the bathroom freshening up. During this crisis, I moved my alarm to 6:25 am. Today I stayed in bed until 7:00 am. Our children who have been very helpful with chores amaze me sometimes. Yesterday the breakfast and lunch dishes stayed in the sink until close to dinner time. Our son who missed a deadline for handing in an assignment delayed all activities for the day. Unknown to us, our daughter was also nursing some feelings about an online school. Although her school had taken a break; when I informed her that school was resuming she broke down and said \”I do not like an online school. They do not even explain things to you the way they do in class\”. I spent a good ten minutes talking to her only to discover that her main problem was that she was feeling overwhelmed with all the work they were being given online. I have shared my strategies of how I deal with overwhelm and  I used them with her. After she quickly did the dishes and had a bath she put them to use and by the time dinner was served she proudly announced that she was up to date with her math homework.

You see during periods of uncertainty each of us develops different coping strategies. Insisting that things be done the normal way only makes the situation worse for everyone. I am finding that letting my guard down a bit is helping us all as we navigate the waters of uncertainty.

#5. Keep Hope Alive

I am learning that during this period of uncertainty, whereas my focus is on today, I should not let go of my dreams for the future. To this end, I am keeping in mind the advice given by Winston Churchill when he said:

\”It is not enough to have lived. We should determine to live for something\”

My subscribers know how much I believe in having a word for the year and a Vision Board. I have gone ahead and developed a workbook that can help you to create your vision board. My word for 2020 is growth. I am keeping this word before me and ensuring that every day I take action towards achieving the things on my vision board. My purpose referred to in #1 above is what is helping me do this.

In addition to this, I am holding onto any good news that comes my way about the pandemic. For example the other day one of the ladies we pray with had a dream where she saw her daughter wearing her school uniform and a friend of hers from another country had visited and they were having lunch in a restaurant. I interpreted this to mean that God is telling us a day will come when things will get back to normal. Our kids will go back to school, restaurants will open and planes will fly again. I believe each of us needs to find hope in whatever circumstances you may be in. I find that the best way to do this is to focus on what is working well for you. It is another way we feed our faith and starve our fears.

Finally,

I am finding that the best way for me to deal with this uncertainty is to dig deeper into the word of God and the promises therein. One of my favorites comes from John 16:33 and reads:

\”I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world\”

I am also listening to a lot of positive music. For example, the words

\”there is a place where fear has to face the God you know\”

by Casting Crowns are really refreshing at this moment in time.

This my friends is how I am able to experience peace in this storm of life. I am holding on to the fact that one day this will be history and we shall give thanks to God who saw us through it.