Psychologists describe worrying as a chain of negative thoughts and images which is largely uncontrollable. Fear, on the other hand, is an adaptive mechanism essential to survival that rallies many biological processes to help us prepare for a potentially threatening situation (Ornell et al., 2020). Here’s more…

While it's normal to feel stressed out and worried during a crisis, daily challenges can also push us beyond our ability to cope. During stressful times, we may feel helpless, sad, angry, irritable, hopeless, anxious, or afraid. We may even have trouble concentrating, feel unmotivated to do essential tasks, experience changes in appetite, have body aches or pains, and have difficulty sleeping. Here is what worry does to our brain…

Accepting to live with the reality of ambiguity enhances our ability to deal with all possibilities and to confront sudden events with more confidence. Living with uncertainty helps us plan for today and tomorrow. Here are some coping strategies that can help (and some that won’t)…