Handling Stress, Fear, and Uncertainty Effectively

We are living in a new era. Stress, fear, and uncertainty will be our daily companions for a while. So, we have a couple of options. One option is we can complain, blame, and step into full panic mode. If we take this option, we’ll have a lot of company, but we’ll be increasing our chances of getting ill — since stress lessens immunity. The second option is to embrace uncertainty, handle stress effectively, and focus on helpful actions to take. In this brief article, I want to give you what you can do in just a few minutes a day to better prepare for the roller coaster ride ahead.

First, it’s important to realize that the coronavirus is not our only enemy. According to the American Medical Association, 80 to 90% of all disease is stress-related. Stress is another word for fear. As Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” …So, if you don’t want you or your loved ones to get sick, become better at handling your stress.

You probably already know of some simple ways to handle stress: exercise, yoga, meditation, laughing (see picture above), time with loved ones, deep breathing, etc. Recently, on my podcast “Awareness Explorers,” I created a 9-minute guided meditation called, “Overcoming Stress by Befriending Uncertainty. ” This brief meditation will both deeply relax you and help you feel more at ease with all the stress…