4 Mindfulness Skills For Getting Through Uncertainty

Living with the stress of prolonged uncertainty takes a toll on physical and mental well-being. Even if it’s not pandemic-level uncertainty, every day we bump up against low-grade uncertainties that can amp-up anxiety if we don’t build up our coping-skills toolbox. 

To get through uncertain times, we often adopt less effective skills and strategies to cope that can be unhealthy. These often self-sabotaging coping skills can side-track us from our goals and can damage our most important relationships —and out health and wellbeing. 

When we’re caught up in the ferris wheel of uncertainty and worry without getting off, we’re taken out of the present moment and have trouble enjoying what is here for us in the now. The lustre of life darkens and we forget the daily glimmers of light available to us in every moment.

Do You Do Any Of These Common Energy Zappers?

Here are five common less effective strategies you may be using for coping during times of uncertainty and stress and five mindfulness and coaching-based skills you can start to add to your toolbox as a replacement right away.

1. Mentally fast-forwarding and imagining worst-case scenarios or other bad possible outcomes in an attempt to relieve some anxiety or in an attempt to pre-plan. Why it’s a less effective coping strategy: fast-forwarding and guessing outcomes takes you out of the present moment with yourself and others and increases your anxiety. Replacement Skill: Reminding yourself of your resourcefulness and how you got through other tough times.

2. Turning to alcohol and other altering substances to relieve anxiety and de-stress. The after-work glass of wine easily turns into two or three to unwind from the day’s built up tension from your body. The calls for joining in at happy hour to blow off steam. Why it’s an unhealthy coping strategy: Damages your overall health, creates dependence on the substance and can have a negative impact on relationships and family. Replacement Skill: Create Pleasurable Rituals: drinking tea or a creative mocktail, taking a shower or bath, adopting a daily after work walk to shake off the day.

3. Over-distraction. Binge-watching TV shows and movies, over consuming news, web surfing, internet shopping and TV tune-out are common themes. Some of us clean or do random chores instead of dealing with an issue. Some of us distract ourselves with other people’s problems to distract from what’s going on in our own spheres. Why it’s an unhealthy coping strategy: All of these take you out of the present moment, sabotage the ability to stay present for yourself and those you love, and can take you away from important goals you could be working on. Replacement Skill: Positive goal-oriented action in small steps and self-care. 

4. Mentally hyper-focusing on the uncertainty and unknowns. This might mean going over all of the uncertainty and worry in your mind day and night, and steering conversations with friends and acquaintances back to the uncertainty and unknowns. You might think that if you keep the danger in sight and at the tip of your tongue, it will be less likely to sneak up on you. Why it’s an unhealthy coping strategy: Constantly thinking about and focusing on the unknowns isn’t a solutions oriented approach and does little to keep anxiety in check. What you focus on grows. Replacement Skill: Learning to deeply tune into your senses with simple mindfulness activities that cue you into the present.

5. Binge-eating. Have months of uncertainty been marked by the many empty containers of ice-cream in the recycling bin? Or bags of popcorn, cookies or chips? If you, too, are reaching for your favorite comfort food when you feel uncertainty and anxiety coming on, you’re definitely not alone. Emotional eating thrives in times of stress and uncertainty but never relieves what is at the core of the cravings: the longing to feel safe or to fill the void that comes with uncertainty. Replacement Skill: While stocking your fridge and pantry with healthy food options is one way to go, if the core of your binge-eating is coming from an emotional place, it’s common to then transfer the binge-eating to other foods in an attempt to fill the worry-void. Learning mindful eating, drinking water and meditation can help lessen the binging.

Did any of these coping strategies look familiar? If so, you don’t have to take this as an opportunity to beat yourself up. Read on for more details about the replacement skills listed above and the five mindfulness and coaching skills that you can start to put in place right away. 

Remember: even if you have gotten off-path over the past months or more, you can always course-correct.

1. You’ve Done It Before, You Can Do It Again! Identify and keep a list of uncertain and stressful circumstances that you have dealt with and already lived through. Write down concrete examples on an index card or in a small notebook and keep it nearby for a week, to start. Look at your own examples daily and add to the list each day. This empowers you instead of keeping you going in circles in the unknowns by reminding yourself of your past ability to weather tough times and that you are strong and resourceful.

2. Create New, Pleasurable Rituals. Alcohol and other substances can become time-bound habits with dopamine fueled rewards that our brains anticipate to help calm down and unwind when pummeled with worry, anxiety and stress. Daily use of substances can become weaved into our lives in such a way that they become rituals. Think of the post-work or dinner drink that can go from one to many and from once or twice a week, to the daily pleasure spot we look forward to when under uncertainty induced stress. Interrupt the pattern by creating a new ritual. This could be concocting a creative and delicious non-alcoholic cocktail or a cup of your favorite tea. It could be a post-dinner or after work walk in nature or even a luxurious shower or bath to unwind naturally. The important part is that it feels pleasurable to you and that it is something that is repeatable daily that you will look forward to doing.

3. Positive action and Self-Care. Do something kind for someone else. Write a real letter to a friend and mail it, help out an elderly neighbor or family in need. 

4. Slow Down and Deeply Tune into your Senses. Slowing down your mind is not an impossible skill to learn. When your mind feels like a runaway anxiety train, you can create simple mindfulness activities that cue you back into the present. 

Instead of trying to do a complete swap-out, I recommend a try-on period of a week to start. You are mentally trying on this new skill. 

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