We like certainty. We are hard-wired to want to know what is happening and when. When things feel uncertain or when we don't feel safe, we become stressed. Living with uncertainty did not begin with the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been a part of our lives even under normal circumstances. We are aware that life is not black and white, but shades of grey. However, the pandemic has profoundly altered our lives on a scale we have not experienced in our lifetime.
Navigating today's environment is especially challenging when we have issues and obstacles coming at us from all directions. Further, this uncertain environment has persisted for a long time. One week we see COVID-19 cases rising and then we see a decline. This period of uncertainty is very different from previous crises. For example, previous collective crises were event-oriented, such as 9-11, and the period of uncertainty that occurred was much shorter.
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Definition of Uncertainty
Uncertainty is the experience of negative emotions experienced in response to the unknown aspects of a situation (Freeston et al., 2020). These unknown aspects are often accompanied by threat elements, either real, perceived, or over-estimated (Freeston et al., 2020). Sometimes we can experience uncertainty distress in situations where the likelihood of the threat or negative outcome is very low or even absent. In these cases, the distress from uncertainty is more disturbing than the possibility of an actual threat or danger.
We Have Changed
Living with the pandemic has heightened the level of uncertainty in many dimensions of our present and future lives. Sustained feelings of uncertainty can leave us feeling stressed and powerless, leading to emotional drain and trapping us into catastrophic "what-if" scenarios. It has also created many unforeseen problems, such as a distrust of the future. Furthermore, we feel more insecure and fear more unexpected changes, which keeps us living with ambiguity.
Prolonged periods of uncertainty can cause all kinds of havoc. When we don't know what is happening, we may feel on edge, angry, helpless, or sad. Because of the unique aspects of the pandemic, psychologists and psychiatrists are seeing multiple waves of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorders in patients across the country (Nelson & Kaminsky, 2020). Through several rounds of data collected in Canada and the United States, Dr. Steven Taylor, a professor and clinical psychologist, and his colleagues have identified a complex mix of mental health stressors, incorporating aspects of anxiety-related disorders called COVID stress syndrome.
Over the next few weeks, we will explore these topics to expand our understanding of this prolonged period of uncertainty and provide practical ways to minimize the impact on our mental well-being.
References
Freeston, M., Tiplady, A., Mawn, L., Bottesi, G., & Thwaites, S. (2020). Towards a model of uncertainty distress in the context of Coronavirus (COVID-19). The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 13.
Nelson, B., & Kaminsky, D. B. (2020). COVID‐19's multipronged attack on mental health: Months of uncertainty and threats to health, social, and financial security have contributed to intense anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and even suicide. Cancer Cytopathology, 128(10), 679.