- Hey, everybody.
Since we've been dealing with a global pandemic
for seven months or so, and depending on where you live,
you may not be sure when things will open up
or go back to some semblance of normal.
Today, I want to talk about ways to deal
with an uncertain future.
And sure, I'll be honest.
Should have created this video months ago.
But I'm in it with you, too.
And honestly, I've just been feeling sad and overwhelmed,
and not entirely like myself lately.
But before I jump into this topic more,
I wanna share a few facts about COVID-19
as part of the Better Internet Initiative
supported by the Fellow Americans Education Fund.
Because I don't know about you,
but I have heard all sorts of things
about how COVID can and cannot be transmitted,
and what I need to do to ensure
that Sean and I are kept safe.
So I wanted to answer some frequently asked questions
about COVID-19 with information from the CDC
and the World Health Organization.
The first question is,
"Can the virus be spread through food,
"food packaging, restaurant takeout food packaging,
"or frozen food packaging?"
And the truth is that there is no evidence that food
or food packaging play a significant role
in spreading the virus in the United States.
Next, "Can the virus spread be spread
"by mosquitoes and ticks?"
At this time, the CDC has no data to suggest
that this new coronavirus or other similar coronaviruses
are spread by mosquitoes or ticks.
"Will I get COVID-19 through the mail or packages?"
I've worried about that.
Although the virus can survive for a short period
on some surfaces,
it is unlikely to be spread from domestic
or international mail products or packaging.
And it may be possible to contract COVID-19
by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it,
and then touching your mouth or nose.
But this is not thought to be the main way
the virus spreads.
So I just wash my hands frequently
when I touch public items or mail.
And the likelihood of shoes spreading COVID-19 is very low.
I've heard about this, as well.
As a precautionary measure,
particularly in homes where infants and small children crawl
or play on floors,
consider leaving your shoes at the entrance of your home.
I hope that clears up any confusion
or answers any extra question that you may have had.
But let's get back into today's topic,
how to deal with uncertainty.
And if you didn't know,
when we are stressed out or scared about our future,
our brain stress response,
otherwise known as our limbic system,
which is where our amygdala is, it runs the show.
When our limbic system is activated,
it throws everything else offline,
and makes quick safety-focused and emotion-based decisions,
meaning that the parts of our brain
responsible for reflective, balanced,
and reasonable thought aren't active,
and don't take part in our decision-making process.
Therefore, in order for us to healthily deal
with the uncertainty that we all feel right now,
we're going to have to get our limbic system to calm down.
And the good news is that there are so many ways
that we can do that.
But the most effective way is through true connection,
meaning we need to get our support system going.
Support, support, support.
Reach out to people that you care about.
Check in with them.
If possible, have a safe, physically distanced hangout.
Support is what will calm the stress response down
and remind us that we're going to be okay
and we aren't alone,
and we'll get through this together.
Something else that can help
is focusing on what we can control.
So often, we can get caught up in the things
that are happening with or without us,
and we can forget all we can do.
Making plans to get outside, take a day trip, a road trip,
or even just plan to take a day off from work
can make all the difference.
My friend Harriet has been making weekend plans
ahead of time so that she has something to look forward to.
Like we scheduled a Zoom hangout,
and we're going to go ride horses.
There are still plenty of things that we can do
while staying six feet apart from each other,
and things that you can do at home,
like redecorate or move your furniture around.
Back when I lived in my parents' house,
I used to move the stuff in my room around
because it made it feel all new and different,
even though I, you know, couldn't afford to buy anything
or actually move out or anything.
I don't know, I'm just giving you some ideas
to hopefully get you started.
Another annoying thing that really does help
is practicing gratitude.
And no, we don't have to be all woo woo about it.
Just pick a time each day to write down
or even think of two to three things
that you are grateful for.
Making the time to push or pull
or maybe force our brain into a positive area
can really change our mood, our day,
and ultimately our life.
So even if you hate doing it or struggle to come up
with things to be grateful for, keep trying.
And even if you can only come up with one thing each day,
I would call that a win.
Another way to help us deal with uncertainty
is by being kind to someone else.
And I know that may sound strange,
but if you've ever volunteered
or done anything to give back to your community,
you know you get just as much, if not more, out of it.
Smiling at a stranger, if you can, safely.
I know masks are making that a little bit difficult.
Or maybe just thanking someone,
being more patient than normal,
letting someone else go first,
or giving someone the benefit of the doubt in a situation.
These are all small ways that we can be kind
and compassionate to each other.
And it will not only brighten their day,
but it will also make us feel better and more connected,
which, don't forget, calms that stress response
that we talked about at the beginning.
Next, try to be more forgiving of yourself.
I've talked about this before,
but people online talking about learning
all these new languages or painting their home,
organizing everything,
and making statements about what we should be doing
with all this time we have on our hands.
I don't know about you, but I don't really have
that much time on my hands right now.
But it's just bullshit.
Sure, if you want to do those things, you totally can,
but that's your choice.
And if we are only able to shower, do some of our work,
and feed ourselves, that is more than enough.
We are all grieving.
Many are stressed out,
and it's been incredibly difficult for so many people.
So don't feel like you have to keep up
with something someone else says
or something they post on Instagram.
That's good for them,
but we don't have to do what's good for them.
We have to do what's good for us.
So if you don't get to check all those things
off of your list today, that's okay.
There's always tomorrow,
and we are just doing our best to survive.
So don't let that negative self talk tell you differently.
You are doing great.
Next, don't allow yourself to go into the pit of despair.
You know what I mean.
When we scroll through scary,
fear-inducing news or information,
and suddenly we're lying in bed
worrying about something we said over 10 years ago.
Yeah, let's not do that.
Don't let your worry thoughts run the show
and pull you into that dark and scary place.
Sure, it's great to be informed,
but any more than that can only make us feel worse.
So use your tools like thought stopping.
You know, when you say stop, stop, stop, stop, stop,
stop, stop over and over again,
until those racing thoughts stop.
Then you can force yourself to think
about a really wonderful vacation or a day that you had.
Focus on all the details of that favorite memory,
and play it back.
If that doesn't work, distract.
We can call a friend.
We can color or take a shower, do an impulse log,
do the dishes, journal.
If you need more ideas, I have an entire video
all about coping skills.
So just search on YouTube, Katie Morton, coping skills,
and it'll pop up.
Just do whatever you can to healthfully prevent yourself
from falling into that dark pit of worry and stress.
And finally, put together a contingency plan.
If things don't turn out the way you hope,
what can you do?
Is that a career pivot?
Maybe you move back home.
There is no shame in doing any of those things.
We are all just doing our best to survive this,
and you have to do what's best for you.
Maybe we start saving $10 a month or $10 a week
or whatever we can afford.
Now could be a good time to finally take that class
to make you a more desirable employee,
or set up that Etsy shop that you've been thinking about.
Whatever it is, put together your plan
for what you will do if things don't work out.
Sometimes just having that plan in place
and being able to take steps toward it each day
helps give us some relief during this very difficult time.
And just know that I'm here for you.
I'm going through it with you.
And we have a wonderful community
that helps support each other,
so you're not alone.
And as always, if you have any other questions
or ideas for videos,
you can leave those in the comments down below.
Thank you so much for watching,
and I will see you next time, bye.
(gentle music)
(bell ringing)