Navigating The Stress Of Uncertainty (The Friday Ficks S5 E6)

Oscar Munoz, a former CEO of United Airlines, said “uncertainty always creates doubt, and doubt creates fear.”

Uncertainty is the topic de jour, stirred in part (and not helped) by the histrionics of elected officials.

What to do?

Recently, the American Psychological Association shared 10 tips for dealing with the stress of uncertainty (https://lnkd.in/e6KMzyz6). I have capitalized the APA tips below, and what follows each are my (very brief) thoughts:

1) Be Kind to Yourself: if not you, then who?;

2) Reflect on Past Successes: look not at the gap in front of you, but the gain behind you;

3) Develop New Skills: exercising your brain has zero downside;

4) Limit Exposure to News: doom scrolling has zero upside, especially before bed;

5) Avoid Dwelling on Things You Can’t Control: like weather, red lights, ocean tides and other peoples’ opinions of you;

6) Take Your Own Advice: as in, walk the walk and OWN your own advice;

7) Engage in Self-Care: remember the self-care/wellness triad = eating, exercise and emotional well-being;

8) Seek Support From Those You Trust: find your people, like Drew Holcomb sings in his song of the same name (https://lnkd.in/e7gnZEBK);

9) Control What You Can: your choice of friends, how you spend your time, and with whom you share your love; and

10) Ask For Help: there’s zero shame in that.

Nothing is a quick fix, but this list might come in handy.

I invite you to be curious.

Own the day. Own the weekend.

Carl