It’s a phrase I’ve seen a LOT in recent days/weeks — “these uncertain times.” We are living through a pandemic that has triggered massive economic problems, as well as changes being made to help us survive it.

Yes, we are uncertain about the COVID-19 pandemic — how many will get it, who will survive, what are the long-term effects of having experienced it, etc.

And many of us are feeling uncertain about our finances — will I be laid off, will there be assistance from the government, will I lose everything, and so on. (Fortunately, I am not personally feeling this particular uncertainty, but I know many are.)

I’m not a psychologist or sociologist or any sort of expert in any related field. But I suspect that when we are constantly bombarded with messages of uncertainty and doubt, it is probably easy to let that doom-and-gloom mentality spread to other areas — why bother washing the dishes, what’s the point in getting dressed, what good does it do to plan for the future, and similar messages of self-doubt.

For me, the thing that seems to help is for me to separate things I cannot change from the things I can actually control in my own life. I do what I can to avoid catching COVID-19, along with all the other things I do for my health (regular glucose readings, daily blood-pressure readings, morning and evening meds, doing what exercises I can do, taking a shower and shave every couple days, etc.) I monitor my finances (what precious little I have at the moment) to ensure I’m not blowing it on frivolous things — I don’t know how much money will be coming in in the future, but I can ensure I’m not wasting what I have. I am able to get up and do the laundry, wash the dishes, vacuum the floors. These are things I DO have control over, to remind myself that not everything is uncertain.

I think everyone has areas of there life where they can manifest a measure of certainty, even in uncertain times. They might seem small and trivial, but they are important little touchstones to avoid the utter despair of uncertainty we hear on the news reports.