Amanda Cade

Last week, Collins Dictionary announced that the 2020 word of the year is “lockdown”. Runners up included “Coronavirus”, “key worker”, “furlough”, and “social distancing”. Definitely strong contenders and a tough decision, but I feel like the list of finalists missed one very important 2020 theme: Uncertainty.

I’m thinking about a conversation I had with a friend a few days ago, while COVID cases are rising rapidly, our school districts debate in person versus virtual education, our election results are being challenged, and many employers (including mine) discuss safety precautions and possible changes in policy. At one point, my friend said, “Right now I almost don’t care what the decisions are-I just want decisions to be made. I want to have an idea of what’s going to happen. I want to be able to react and plan and figure things out, instead of sitting in limbo all the time”.

Her comments perfectly reflected another term I didn’t think much about until this year, but am now intimately familiar with: uncertainty fatigue. So let’s talk about it.

What it is

In some situations, not knowing what’s going to happen can be exciting and positive, but there’s a big difference between wondering how a movie is going to turn out or what you’re going to get for your birthday and wondering if you’re going to lose your job, if your kids will be able to go to school, or if you or someone you care about is going to catch a deadly virus. That kind of uncertainty is stressful rather than exciting, and its effects are cumulative.

You see, when things are uncertain, you burn more energy than normal. This manifests predominantly in a heightened awareness, because the back of your brain is acting on fight-or-flight instincts. As far as your hindbrain is concerned, you are in a strange environment, and there could be tigers lurking in every bush, so you have to stay alert until you’ve normalized the environment enough to feel comfortable. When your brain keeps identifying new possible threats, it doesn’t let you relax.

In our modern world, the uncertainty we’re faced with doesn’t come from strange trees and bushes that might hold predators (At least, I hope not!). Instead, we’re facing ever-shifting political landscapes and global pandemics. The latter is especially strong, because every time you go in public or interact with another person that isn’t a close member of your family or friend circle, on some level you are aware they could be carrying the Coronavirus. 

Uncertainty fatigue comes from extended periods of being on high alert for possible changes. Your brain is keeping your body primed for a fight that never comes, and it starts to wear on you. 

How to recognize it

Uncertainty fatigue is a subset of the stress response, but it’s unique in that many normal stress management techniques don’t work very well. Stress management frequently relies on removing stressors from your environment, finding a new location to relax, or changing what you’re doing. However, all of those are changes, and can actually make uncertainty fatigue worse. You think you’re doing all the right things, but you’re treating the wrong problem. 

This can create a negative feedback loop that exacerbates the issues, but can also help you identify the problem. If stress management is paradoxically making you more stressed, then you’re probably suffering from uncertainty fatigue, and you need to try something different.

How to fix it

This is far from the first time I’ve talked about self-regulating your media intake, but it definitely bears repeating. Find two or three news sources you both trust and that provide definite answers. Avoid media that asks questions about what could go wrong without providing hard evidence or resolution. Limit your social media to trusted friends and colleagues that you know won’t spin wild theories or share unfounded stories. 

Also, try to determine the largest source of your uncertainty, and seek out an answer. For example, is the uncertainty coming from not knowing if your children are going back to school and if it’s going to be safe if they do? Read up on the rate of infection in your area, read their school district’s official statement, and then tell yourself that’s enough. The answer may change, but you cannot control what the answer will be. Instead, you can control what you will do if that changes. Tell yourself: “It’s not in my control, and that’s okay. I can control what is within my sphere of influence, and everything else will have an answer in time.”

The goal here is to stay as informed as you need to feel confident without spiralling into conspiracy theories and more uncertainty. Trust that the experts know what they’re doing. It might take some time to find out exactly what ratio works best for you, but once you have it, you’ll be on the route to a more certain and confident mindset that will stick with you. When you add routines and a stable environment on top of that, then you’ll just need a few nights of good, solid sleep to recharge the energy you’ve burnt on uncertainty. Although everything won’t magically be better, you will definitely start to feel better.

What are the uncertainties in your life, and how are you coping with them?