How to navigate fear in a time of uncertainty
For millions of Americans, this is an uncertain time.
Amazon, General Motors and Paramount are making layoffs, with U.S.-based employers announcing a total of 153,074 layoffs in October, according to the research firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas.
The government shutdown is also behind us hundreds of thousands unpaid workers, millions of SNAP recipients without money to feed themselves and their families, and now thousands of travelers with fewer flight options.
There are ways to cope that don’t make the financial anxiety you may feel worse. For example, financial therapist Aja Evans recommends pursuing self-care activities that cost little or no money, such as going outside and spending time with family and friends.
However, there is also a change in mentality that people can make.
Instead of experiencing uncertainty as an anomaly, remember that “uncertainty is the fundamental reality,” says best-selling author and wellness guru Deepak Chopra. “We breathe, live and act in uncertainty, acting at every moment as if it were certain.”
Start with the assumption that life is uncertain.
Deepak Chopra
Healthy living guru, author
The 79-year-old actor recently launched a launch. healthy living platform various meditations, live digital sessions and Deepak Chopra A.I. A chatbot that draws on decades of writing and conversations that users can interact with directly.
Instead of thinking of uncertainty as a blocker in your life, think of it as a chance to try something new. “In every uncertain event, there is a seed of greater opportunity and creativity,” says Chopra.
This creativity can lead to new problem solving and solutions you hadn’t considered before, no matter what difficult circumstances you face.
Creativity, he says, is “a new story, a new paradigm, a new way of dealing with relationships, new context and new meaning.”
When you feel anxiety about an uncertain future creeping in, “start with the assumption that life is uncertain,” says Chopra. “When you start with this, you welcome the unknown.”
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