It's been a weird month for all of us and unfortunately there's one thing that
we all have in common right now – which is growing uncertainty. So here are a few
tips from psychology to help us all cope.
I'm Vanessa, you're watching BrainCraft
and I am self isolating in a one-bedroom apartment for an indefinite period of time.
Uncertainty it has been defined as a lack of information about a situation.
And it's totally normal to feel uncomfortable about it –
in studies that people have actually paid to reduce their levels of
uncertainty. But unfortunately we don't have that option in real life...
First, it's importance know that we all respond to uncertainty differently. This is called
your 'tolerance of uncertainty' – and when you think about it we all have
different tolerance to caffeine and coffee or alcohol in wine so uncertainty
is no different. And this level of tolerance can affect you in different
ways. So people with a lower tolerance to uncertainty are more vulnerable to
experiencing anxiety. We can see this in a study that was done at during the 2009
swine flu pandemic. Researchers found that people who had a harder time
accepting the uncertainty of the situation that were more likely to
experience elevated anxiety. But even though it feels like the world is
falling apart it is good to remember that our actions have the potential to
change our thoughts and feelings. And there are ways that we can build our
tolerance to uncertainty. Experts recommend thinking of tolerance of
uncertainty as a muscle – the more we exercise that the stronger it gets. And
the way we can exercise it is by introducing small amounts of uncertainty
into our everyday lives. I made a list of examples for you, which in in reality is
quite visually unappealing but bear with me. So try going on a walk outside
without checking the weather, without knowing anything about what it's gonna be
like once you're out there. Another thing you can try is emailing or messaging a
colleague or a family member and then putting your phone away – put it in a
drawer turn it off don't look at it for one hour, two hours, know that there is
probably a message there for you and you're okay not
knowing what it says. You could also order food from a new place without
looking at the menu, without looking it up online and just not knowing what to
expect. Another thing you can do that is honestly important is reducing at the
time that you're exposed to COVID-19 media. Obviously news is essential but
studies of past global tragedies have found that unnecessary exposure to news
about that tragedy can increase anxiety and your body's stress response. So get
notifications, set yourself a time to check in or give yourself a certain
amount of time to read media every day. Don't overdose on content! Of course some
of this could lead to you annoying a colleague or reading two fewer news
articles or getting a bad pizza – but that's the whole point! Of you becoming
comfortable in this process, of experiencing uncertainty and knowing
that in the end – everything's gonna be okay. Another way to cope is by doing
small things that you can control and you can do this at the same time as
you're building up your tolerance of uncertainty muscle. So I've been making a
list every morning of super easy things that I can do every day, given the
circumstances, so getting up having a shower and walking the dog and having
lunch are all on there. And then when I tick them off, it helps me feel grounded
and feel like I'm actually doing something. Even if you have reached this
place in the video and you're doing brilliantly and none of these tips are
needed – please remember that everybody
experiences anxiety differently! If people are coming to you don't tell them
they're overreacting because they might just be seeking reassurance. We are all
dealing with a lot right now and I'm gonna be in this room for an indefinite
period of time... but still I'm trying to build at my uncertainty muscle, I'm
making this and I'm just trying to stay sane. And I hope this video can help you
do the same. Please stay safe and more than anything, stay home! Please stay home.
As always, a big thank you to my patrons! If you have ever thought of supporting this
channel now is a great time because I'm doing more live streams and – that's
it, that's it I'm just doing a couple more live streams so I will link it to the Patreon
here. Somewhere. I'm just doing the best I can!