About a month ago, we (136) were told that 50% of of our work will be abolished. Panic entered into our mind, for real. There was no clarity what does it mean? do I still have a job? do I need to move the family to another place? I chose to let the ideas settle before reacting. I chose not panic like some of my peers. I chose not to do anything. I didn’t reach out to my boss, I didn’t reach out to my mentor, I needed to process the news.
It is not to say I was not stressed, I still am. My oura score is consistently lower than physical stress would predict. Previous period of stress was the same.
Yet, after the first impulse of doing something to feel in control is gone, I decided not to do anything after all. Well… I did focus on spending more time to meditate, tenderly care for myself, spend time with my loved ones, and live day by day, as well as I could.
I chose to trust that people in the position of making decisions or influence decisions will do their best to provide some order, clarity, and decent outcome. DECENCY was the word that I heard the most in recent weeks.
This last Monday, my mentor texted me telling me that I would be fine. I wasn’t expecting to receive this from him as he’s no longer my boss, but I still consider him as my mentor. I smiled… really smiled… not only because of the positive outcome (to be confirmed formally next week) but because I made the right decision to trust.
How do you deal with uncertainty? both health related and financial uncertainties are so hard to get through.
Our New Journey 
That was such a powerful read. I really admire how you chose stillness and trust instead of jumping into action – it’s so hard to do when everything feels uncertain.
That message from your mentor must have felt like a deep exhale. I’m really glad you shared this.
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Coco, this is such a stressful situation and I can’t believe the fortitude you showed. I feel like I would have been such a wreck emotionally. I’m sure your level-headedness plays a huge role in how successful you are in your job and why you’re an invaluable part of the time.
Thanks for sharing this update and I hope things feel calmer in the coming weeks.
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So stressful, Coco, but the way you handled it was so smart and powerful! Choosing to be calm in the face of it, choosing to trust…I am sure you’re relieved to hear that you’re okay and you can stay put for a while.
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I’m so glad you have a resolution and positive outcome for your job! Uncertainty is so stressful! That feeling of uncertainty is pervasive where I live in DC right now, with everyone not knowing what the current administration is doing. I’m not technically a federal employee, but my work has been impacted because a portion of where I work is federally funded. We don’t know who is coming, who is leaving (voluntarily or involuntarily). It really sucks. I’m lucky, I have a few levels between me and the people in charge, but I know there are many people I work with who don’t speak out in meetings anymore because they have seen colleagues escorted from the room and fired. The tension in the air is palatable. What can I do? I just keep doing my job the best that I can, remember to treat everyone with compassion and gentleness.
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I’m a person who instantly panics so I need to calm down & just let things progress as they shall
Glad you’re going to be OK
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Phew!!! Glad you got that good news. Yes, what a stressful thing to go through, after you just moved your whole family there! But, you’re right. Panic and becoming stressed out and tense won’t help any situation. Of course if there’s productive action to take, we need to do that. Otherwise, just trust that no matter what happens, it will be okay. No matter what happens, it will be okay in the end.
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That is very stressful and I am glad it did not end badly!! I feel like the best thing we can do about uncertainty is to try to prepare as much as possible. Whether this means having an emergency fund, or going to get preventative health screenings etc. things that we can do in advance can help a lot mentally! After that, sometimes you can only wait to see what happens, especially with things that we have no control over, as stressing doesn’t make it better. Not to say that we don’t still stress sometimes, but I have learned that sometimes it makes things worse, not better! Keep your head up!
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