Humans have a repertoire of responses to threat. We are seeing all of them, from denial to panic. Lots of factors influence how someone will respond and cope. One is, of course, the nature of the threat. This threat has a particular element that is meaningful: prolonged uncertainty.

There is so much we don’t know. How many cases are actually out there right now. How bad it will get. Who will be okay, who won’t be okay. It’s a scary list, and we are going on not knowing these things for a long time.

The thing is, the nervous system often wants to respond to the threat of uncertainty by resolving the uncertainty: by becoming certain. This leads us to 1) endless endless endless media consumption and reading that never satisfies, 2) consuming what we most agree with already and having that confirm our beliefs (ie finding on the outside what we already feel on the inside), and/or 3) just deciding is true what we need to be true. And maybe others. This is not the most useful for wellbeing over time.

I am practicing acceptance around unpredictability and the unknowable aspect of this reality. I am still reading, still watching, still trying to learn and take precautions (rather strict ones, actually). But when I start to feel that anxiety of trying to resolve the uncertainty, solve the unsolveable, predict the unpredictable, I stop. And I breathe. And I remind myself that things, in fact, are always this unknown. We just don’t live with that awareness unless we have reason to.

Practicing acceptance around this reality will help your nervous system in the long run. It will help your body cope with prolonged exposure to the threat of uncertainty. Take “predict the future” off your stressful to-do list, so you can have a bit more space for breathing, resting, connecting (distantly), and whatever else supports your wellbeing.