Coping with Uncertainty and Transition

Response: I feel out of control and confused about what to do.

Coping Strategy: There is no way to prepare for the unexpected. When feeling out of control, take a break to care for yourself and focus on the things that are within your control.

Response: I feel immobilized. I don’t feel like doing anything and can’t motivate myself.

Coping Strategy: Try to identify the cause of these feelings through reflection: take a break, try meditation, keep a journaling practice, and/or speak with a trained mental health clinician. Support your mood by increasing rest and practicing self-compassion.

Response: I feel disconnected. I compartmentalize negative feelings and avoid addressing them.

Coping Strategy: Make time to reflect and connect with distressing feelings in small doses. Journal or talk with friends. Move on to something lighter when you begin to feel overwhelmed.

Response: I feel overwhelmed.

Coping Strategy: Make time to reflect and connect with distressing feelings in small doses. Journal or talk with friends. Move on to something lighter when you begin to feel overwhelmed.

Keep your schedule as consistent as possible when it comes to class, meals, and bedtime. Use familiar apps and programs for scheduling and reminders. Gently re-evaluate your expectations and focus on what you can realistically accomplish.

• Create boundaried spaces to work and rest to help you shift mind states. For example, have a designated study/workspace. If you live with housemates, consider having or revisiting conversations about guests in your home.
• Stay active and exercise. Explore virtual workouts if going to the gym isn’t a feasible option—many workout plans do not require equipment and are free or low cost. 50 Haven Athletic Center may have options that are accessible to CUIMC students.

Schedule time to do things that lighten your mood: take breaks, read, watch movies, make music, dance, play games, and revisit past hobbies or start a new one. Consider checking out programming offered through Well-Being and Health Promotion.

• Schedule time to communicate with friends, classmates, coworkers, as well as biological and chosen family. Video chat, telephone calls, text, and email are ways to stay connected with others if in-person contact doesn’t feel possible. Connect with family members at your comfort level. If you find yourself in situations where you need to interact with people with whom you do not have a good relationship, identify and communicate boundaries as a compassionate way to preserve your energy and emotional health.
• Seek additional support and resources from people you trust. For example, connect with your therapist, doctor, spiritual leader, or friends and family for support.
• Revisit a hobby, interest, or a new creative endeavor. Share this with your support network. It’s important to allow space for creativity and okay and helpful to experience some pleasure and levity.

• Set a schedule for interacting with social media and email. For example, limiting screen-time before bed can decrease anxiety and improve sleep quality.
• Reconfigure your notification settings and consider which emails or messages should be reviewed immediately and which can wait (e.g., updates from your school or program vs. shopping deals).
• Uninstall social media apps from some of your digital devices to decrease usage, or even move them away from your home screen to limit their accessibility. Block social media for a few hours a day on your browser.

• Be intentional about which issues or events are most important to you and focus your attention and energy on those.
• Obtain information from credible media outlets, public health websites (e.g., CDC), local public health authorities (NYC Public Health Department), and CUIMC. Consider signing up for automated texting or email alerts so you have peace of mind that relevant updates will be promptly communicated with you.
• Maintain distance from sensational media coverage that may be exaggerated or not grounded in scientific evidence.
• Consider setting concrete limits on the number of minutes or hours per day that you spend obtaining news updates. If structure is helpful for you, schedule this into your day.

• Identify and label your feelings. Are you feeling disappointed, bored, excited? Soothe big feelings by meditating, journaling, shifting environments, or doing something until the feeling passes (e.g., cook a tasty meal or take a hot shower for 15 minutes).
• Build a tolerance for uncomfortable and challenging feelings—while recognizing there are multiple ways to cope with and tolerate these feelings. It is okay to seek comfort and distractions from time to time as you continue to process. Reach out for help from Counseling Services and explore individual therapy or group support so you don’t have to do this challenging work alone.
• Let go of what “should” work—sometimes you can’t meditate or journal away a feeling and that is both valid and human. Coping is a complex process; give yourself some space to explore what works for you, even if it may not align with what helps other people.
• Identify negative thinking patterns. Are you catastrophizing, fortune telling, or defining things in black and white terms? Take some time to reflect and reframe negative thought patterns.
• If you use alcohol, cannabis, or other substances, also consider harm reduction techniques and/or setting up a confidential appointment with Addition Information and Management Strategies (AIMS). Additional resources about harm reduction and resources for people with substance use disorders are available under Resources.

• Develop a general plan for when you aren’t feeling well before you’re in a situation where you aren’t feeling well. Identify resources to access when feeling unwell and in need of more support. Student Health on Haven is here to support all CUIMC students.
• Update emergency contacts and keep helpful phone numbers in an accessible place.
• Make a simplified contingency plan with your support network for when you aren’t feeling well. Who can help you with daily activities like shopping and errands? How will you notify professors or supervisors?
• Think through how you might want to support someone you know who becomes seriously ill or who experiences a loss or other significant life change; consider adapting similar strategies for yourself.