2020 has brought massive uncertainty into our lives. Levels of concern about our health are high, particularly for the elderly and those with chronic illness, and we don’t always know how to protect ourselves and those we love from the novel virus. Financial market volatility has been high and the economic slowdown has devastated some industries, leading to job loss and insecurity. Working from home has piled the usually separate needs of our jobs, parenting, and relationships all on top of each other. Any stresses that existed in those areas of our lives before the pandemic have been compounded. 

Under these kinds of stress, mental health challenges that normally would be manageable can become unmanageable. In May, the United Nations published a policy brief entitled “COVID-19 and the Need for Action on Mental Health,” which recommended worldwide increases in mental health resources, and cited significant (>35%) levels of distress in the populations of China, Iran, and the USA.

No one in the financial industry has been exempt from the challenges of 2020. Uncertainty lies in every direction, every industry is reinventing itself, there are opportunities and there are complete collapses, and we don’t know what many of the outcomes will be, yet. The markets are unpredictable and the impacts of the pandemic vary greatly by function and market focus within the industry.

What can be said, however, is that uncertainty often leads to anxiety: it tests our limits. Those of us who found our jobs stressful a year ago likely found that anxiety compounded in 2020, as did those who struggling with work-life balance.

Stress

Stress reveals the cracks in our support systems and in our own ability to perform self-care. Stress and anxiety can show themselves in many different ways:

• as rumination and worry;
• as sleeplessness;
• as irritability;
• as an inability to function/depression;
• as addictions to food, alcohol, drugs, et cetera;
• as withdrawal from relationships; and
• as fatigue.

Stress is often normalized in the financial industry. The perception is that everyone is stressed, which can make it difficult to tell when stress has become a problem or, in fact, to see that it doesn’t have to be this way. We can work hard and be healthy and happy. If that statement seems untrue to you, then you may need the opportunity to feel better with some extra self-care.

The silver lining to 2020 for the financial industry is that we have been given the opportunity to increase our levels of self-care and achieve a better work-life balance—which, paradoxically, can lead to greater productivity.

It is easy to forget that uncertainty is a part of life; that the natural world moves in cycles of death and rebirth. Historically, humans have been more connected to the natural rhythms of the planet than we are now. It wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution that we needed clocks on a large scale. Before then, as part of a generally agrarian society, we worked when the sun came up and stopped when it went down. We started to rely on clocks more when factories started running over-night.

And so, much of our society’s success and progress has broadened a disconnection between us and the natural rhythms of the world, and thus created a lack of ease with larger cycles, uncertainty, and flow. These days, we are more focused on work, and uncertainty feels like a disruption. 

Through learning and self-care, however, we can adjust our bodies to a more natural rhythm and start to feel more at ease amidst all the change we see.

Solutions + Resources for managing uncertainty

The key thing to do when feeling stress anxiety is to bring yourself back into the window of tolerance, and help others to come back as well. 

What is the window of tolerance? It is a state of equilibrium, where we can think and process stimuli and information effectively. 

When we experience stress—either as the sum total of many small stresses or as one big shock—we move outside that window of tolerance and become either hyper-aroused (the fight-or-flight response) or hypo-aroused (the numb, paralyzed, “play dead” response). When we are in either hyper- or hypo-arousal, we are unable to think through decisions in a productive way. It is not a time to work harder; it is a time to climb back inside that state of equilibrium. 

How do you get back inside the window of tolerance?

Finding your way back is an individual process, and you’ll find your best methods over time and with practice. Here are some suggestions:

Spend time in nature: Walks, hiking, swimming, lounging—fresh air and a connection to nature can have a sizable positive impact on the nervous system.

Massage and/or acupuncture: Bodywork is a quick, effective way to regulate the nervous system and come back within the window of tolerance—weekly sessions are advised.

Mindfulness meditation: Start with just one minute. Sit, breathe, and follow your breath. When thoughts come, thank them and let them go. Practice for one minute a day for a week, and then increase to two minutes per day. Bit by bit, your relationship with your thoughts will become more relaxed. 

Psychotherapy: Talking with an objective, compassionate, and trained person builds a calming resonant field that can help repair your nervous system. Psychotherapy can also offer insight and much-needed perspective during tumultuous times.

Activities you enjoy: Good feelings are great medicine—when you are absorbed in something you enjoy, you can enter a state of flow; where you are at your best, and the work is easy; rather than ruminating and stressing.

It’s important not to compare ourselves to other people, but to do what we need to do to take care of ourselves. Sometimes, a person will need more self-care than usual, even over a longer period of time, and that is fine. Each of us has our individual health needs—and that includes mental health.

There is much help available, and many, many powerful and effective techniques can be found today for building up our resilience and soothing our nervous systems. Every single financial professional would probably benefit from a five-minute relaxation practice daily. 

When we can situate ourselves inside the window of tolerance, we can make the best possible investment decisions—the complex decisions we have trained to be able to make. Taking care of ourselves during this extremely stressful time is an action that supports our decision-making and our profession.