LANE WALLACE

​“Interesting” times are stretches in history when norms and stability are upended, and we feel immersed in a world that is unpredictable, chaotic, and filled with uncertainty. The Great Depression. World War II. The social and political turmoil of the 1960s. The economic turmoil of the 1970s. 9/11. The economic crash of 2009. The COVID-19 pandemic. And, yes, the earthquake of economic and political changes, chaos, and reversals we’re living through right now. 

The ripple effect of both massive national lay-offs and abrupt economic policy changes has sent shock waves through the economy, shaking many people’s financial and job security. The aviation safety record the U.S. has prided itself on for the last few decades is itself at increased risk from layoffs and policy changes. Norms we used to take for granted are suddenly no longer anything we can count on. Not surprisingly, the uncertainty caused by all that is making many people extremely anxious. 

So, what do we do about that? We can’t magically change the external chaos and forces affecting us. We just have to get through it. But here’s the good news. Anyone who’s lived through any kind of adventure, including the adventure of flying airplanes, is better equipped than most to navigate the challenges of uncertainty. Because although adventure is many wonderful things, it is also inherently uncertain and uncomfortable. If it weren’t, it wouldn’t be an adventure. It would be a vacation. And it wouldn’t offer us the rewards of learning, growth, and strength that make adventures such powerful and rewarding experiences.
Granted, the level of uncertainty we’re living through right now isn’t an adventure anyone would ask for. But not all adventure is planned or desired. Sometimes, life just throws us into the current and we have to find our own way through. But the skills required to succeed at that are the same, no matter what kind of uncertainty or adventure we’re facing. 

 

In 2009, during another period of frightening economic uncertainty, I actually wrote a book, titled Surviving Uncertainty, to help people cope more effectively with times like this. If you want to read more on this subject, you can find more information here. But here are a few of the tips that have proven most useful, whenever I’ve found myself having to navigate scary and uncertain circumstances or adventures:

1. Don’t Panic. The number one rule of surviving any adventure is to keep your wits about you and your mind thinking clearly. Fear, and its steroid-packed cousin panic, aren’t just a drain on our energy and focus. They’re dangerous, debilitating forces that can paralyze us, rendering us incapable of taking the action we need to get through whatever we’re in the middle of. So, we need to consciously draw mental boundaries that keep those forces at bay. How do we do that? First, remember that fear is almost always about what’s going to happen in the future. What might happen. So, make a practice of asking yourself: “Am I okay right now?” It’s a calming way of reminding yourself to take things one step and day at a time, and it gives you some breathing room to figure out how to cope. Of course, if the answer to “am I okay right now” is “No,” then it at least focuses you on what specific actions you need to take to change that answer. 

 

The second trick to keeping fear at bay is mental discipline. We humans have a weird fascination with car wrecks (literal and figurative), even though staring at the horror increases our panic and fear. So, it takes mental discipline to consciously turn away from fixating on sensational “sky is falling” reports, and focus calmly on facts, options, and on what we can actually control or impact. Disciplining ourselves on what kind of, and how much, information we choose to read or watch helps us keep panic at bay and think clearly about what we can do, both to change what we don’t like and to keep ourselves sane throughout the turmoil. And that includes spending time and focusing on activities, places, and people that bring us joy. 

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2. Take Action. Action comes in two forms: planning and doing. Both are essential, not only to come up with a plan to survive whatever uncertain circumstances we’re facing, but also to turn ourselves from helpless victims of those circumstances into protagonists with power and control. Maybe we can’t control all the forces swirling around us, but we can always control how we choose to respond and move forward. Even coming up with a plan of how we’re going to control our information sources, and what other activities we’re going to focus on to help us keep our sanity, is a form of action that can calm us. 

With that feeling of power and balance, it’s then easier to think about how or where we might want to take real action to impact our circumstances and keep us moving forward. And, of course, to avoid the despair of victimhood. There are always steps we can take, and taking action always makes us feel better. 

3. Seek Out Support. Looking for ways to take action can also help us find others who are keeping their fears at bay and navigating uncertainty with grace and intent. In every hero’s journey story, the hero always survives best by finding kindred spirits along the way who provide encouragement, assistance, and support. Avoid those who want to wail in the dark. Seek strong and wise people who exude faith, purpose, and the ability to laugh. 

4. Keep Faith in the Sunrise. This last one is tough, especially when the night feels dark and cold. But no matter how dark the night, remember that the sun always rises again. So, keep faith in that sunrise. My mother, who’d lived through the Depression era of the 1930s, the existential threat of fascism and WWII in the 1940s, the nuclear fears and McCarthy era of the 1950s, the turmoil of the 1960s, the economic woes of the 1970s, and all the rises and falls of life’s fortune over 93 years, said living through that had given her both perspective and faith. Perspective that the world had survived worse, and faith that the storms of even horribly uncertain and challenging times eventually passed. Not without people taking action where possible to turn the tide, perhaps. But she said we all were stronger and more powerful than we often imagined we were. 

Don’t panic. Take action. Seek out support. Keep faith in the sunrise. If you do that, you’ll be strong enough to find your way to the other side.