Coping with Uncertainty: Anxiety in a Constantly Changing World
It doesn’t seem to matter where you get your news and information. Whether it is your local news station, a national broadcast, Facebook, or TikTok, a few things are certain: life is always changing, and the common theme is that change is rarely for the better. This constant stream can be overwhelming and concerning—even debilitating for some. It becomes so easy to miss the good things that are happening, too. Either way, life is ever-evolving and ever-changing. What is that old saying? The only constant is change. This reality leads to the inevitable questions: What if...? or How do I prepare...?
So, what can help us manage the anxiety and uncertainty in this world? First, we must acknowledge what we absolutely have control over: ourselves.
Understanding Locus of Control
External Locus of Control: This is the belief that things outside of ourselves dictate our lives—such as luck, fate, chance, the environment, or other people. When we feel at others’ mercy, we can feel completely helpless. This increases our anxiety, drains our motivation, and lowers our self-efficacy (the belief in our own capabilities).
Internal Locus of Control: This is the belief that our own abilities, skills, actions, and choices shape our lives and what happens to us. When we take responsibility for our part, we feel more confident and less anxious. We acknowledge what we can do to navigate how life goes.
Shifting to an internal locus of control can increase our engagement in changing the world, starting with our immediate circumstances, moving to our community, and eventually impacting greater society. It causes a powerful shift in mindset. We begin to focus on the positive, look at what could be, and use our skills to manage change—both the good and the not-so-good.
The Power of Recognition and Action
It is vital to recognize what we ultimately have control over. If it isn’t already obvious, we do not have control over what others think, say, and do. We do, however, have the ability to influence outcomes, including the “good” change we want to see in ourselves and the world.
To combat uncertainty, we can focus on our community through volunteering, skill-sharing, and voting. We can empower ourselves by journaling evidence of our past successes. Finally, we can build self-efficacy by adopting the mindset that we can always learn new skills—and then actively doing so! Together, these practices help us strike a healthy balance of accepting both the good and the not-so-good things in this world.