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No one seems certain about anything these days. These are, to coin a phrase from the media, uncertain times. Uncertainty about the future affects every part of our lives. The stock market has had a number of drops in the last few months because of uncertainty regarding the virus and the outcome of the elections. Should we spend or should we save? With caution.
Uncertainty also affects our plans for travel. If and how? Should we fly? Or should we drive? Uncertainty affects our relationships with others. Should we visit our family during the holidays? Is it safe to do so?
If a new administration takes office in the country in the next few months and takes the virus seriously, and plans and implements actions to change the course of the virus, still not everything will change. This may decrease some of our uncertainty about much of the future, but most of our uncertainty will remain. Unfortunately, even with a vaccine, the virus will be with us for the foreseeable future. We will be masking up in social distancing well into the fall of 2021.
So be patient. Make a plan to get through the next year. Don't expect miracles even if a new administration takes control in Washington. We will need to continue to practice the skills and the attitudes of resilience. We will need to continue to connect and communicate with others and be flexible especially during these times. And we should not let our emotions control our thinking and our actions. Who wants to wear a mask or social distance or wash her hands every five minutes?
These things work. Don't let pandemic fatigue control your life or take it from you. Take care of yourself and others. A good diet, exercise, and especially sleep are critical to building and maintaining your resilience and your immunity.
See the big picture. This pandemic will pass. It is not permanent and don't waste your time blaming others for it. No one is to blame for the pandemic, although a number of people need to be held accountable for their actions or lack of action during the pandemic.
And finally, the pandemic does not have to have a pervasive effect on most of our lives. It has certainly affected all of us in different ways. And it has limited us. But most of us will not be permanently scarred by it. We will live through it. How well we live through it will be determined by what we do, and in good part, how we react to the pandemic. We have the power to influence the outcome.
