Feel, Reflect, Engage
Practical steps for supporting yourself during uncertain times.
Living Authentically During Uncertain Times
When the world feels uncertain, it’s normal to experience a wide range of emotions. Fear, anger, grief, helplessness, guilt... all emotions all natural human responses to a world in flux.
Living authentically while responding to current events means noticing how your values show up in your emotions and choices, and being honest about your capacity. It’s about choosing what feels real and meaningful to you.
You don't need to do everything or constantly be online to be engaged with current events. Some people find purpose in speaking out, organizing, or volunteering. Others may need to step back and care for themselves or their communities in quieter ways. Both are valid. When your actions align with your values and your limits, you make it possible to show up in a way that’s sustainable and true to who you are.
Simple Ways to Practice Authenticity
Coping Basics
We’re all connected to what happens in the world around us in our own unique ways. We all cope in different ways too. Whether that's staying informed, speaking out, caring for others, doing something quiet and personal, or something else, there's no single “right” way to cope.
Coping with current events means tending to the emotional and mental toll of living through uncertainty, conflict, and change. Your response may depend on your capacity, experiences, and what matters most to you. The strategies below offer different ways to stay grounded, support your well-being, and move forward with care.
Choose
When big things happen in the world, remember that there's always something you can choose. Even small choices matter.
Connect
Reaching out to friends, communities, or causes you care about brings comfort, clarity, and belonging.
Communicate
Sometimes, coping means talking it out. Whether venting, asking for help, or setting boundaries, expressing your needs helps you feel heard and supported.
The 3 C's of Coping were adapted from the 3 C's of Grief. These three core concepts are designed to empower individuals by encouraging intentional healing, building meaningful connections, and fostering open conversations. Explore more tools for grieving.
Making Authentic Choices
Current events can bring up intense emotions like shock, sadness, anger, confusion, or even numbness. These reactions are natural, especially when your values, identity, or sense of safety are impacted.
In the face of so much complexity, one way to cope is by making intentional choices about how you respond. That could mean setting boundaries around news intake, caring for your body and emotions, or deciding where to put your time and energy. Even small, everyday choices like how you treat yourself or interact with others can make a big difference.
Some days, your most authentic choice might be to act. Other days, it might be to rest, reflect, or simply be. All of it counts.
Practical Ways to Make Authentic Choices
- Read or listen to personal stories from people directly affected by the issue, not just headlines.
- Remember that rest is part of the process. Taking care of yourself helps you stay engaged over time.
- Reflect on your values and choose one or two causes or actions to focus on, instead of trying to do everything.
- Name your emotions out loud or in a journal to help process feelings like anger or sadness instead of bottling them up.
- Ground yourself with simple daily actions: take a walk, breathe deeply, drink water, or spend time outside.
- Practice small acts of kindness and connection: smile at someone passing by, hold the door open, or notice what’s going well around you.
- Explore more ways to make authentic choices.
Building Connections
Connection reminds us that we don’t have to carry everything alone. It doesn’t have to look just one way. It might mean reaching out to a friend, spending time in a community space, joining a cause, or simply reconnecting with your body, creativity, or sense of purpose.
For some, connection means forming new relationships. For others, it’s about deepening the ones they already have. What matters is choosing the kind of connection that feels supportive and true to you right now.
During uncertain times, community can be especially grounding. Whether it’s a group of friends, neighbors, a faith circle, or an online space, connection can turn isolation into solidarity and emotion into meaningful action. It creates space to feel seen, supported, and reminded that you’re not in this alone.
Practical Ways to Connect
- Invite someone to do something low-pressure, like going for a walk, sharing a meal, or watching a show together.
- Join a virtual or in-person group that aligns with your interests or values, whether it’s a book club, campus organization, cultural group, or community event.
- Support a local mutual aid effort by donating, sharing resources, offering time, or simply spreading the word.
- Reach out to someone you haven’t talked to in a while. A quick check-in text can go a long way.
- Make space for creative connection: write, draw, sing, cook, or build something for the simple joy of doing it.
- Spend time in spaces that help you feel connected like a favorite outdoor spot, coffee shop, or community space.
Volunteering as Connection
Volunteering can be a powerful source of connection and meaning. Giving your time to causes or communities you care about can boost your sense of purpose, reduce stress, and create meaningful moments of appreciation for you and others.
If you’re not sure where to start, begin by noticing what opportunities are around you. Ask around on campus, in your department, or in the spaces you frequent. It doesn’t have to be big or complicated to count. This VolunteerMatch tool can help you discover opportunities that might be a good fit for you.
Coping and Communication
Communication is a powerful way to process, connect, and care, both for ourselves and for others. In moments of political upheaval, uncertainty, or collective grief, talking about what’s happening and how it’s affecting us can relieve loneliness and isolation and give us new insights. Communication might look like sharing your thoughts on the news with a friend, checking in with a loved one about how they’re coping, or naming your own emotions and boundaries out loud. It might involve open conversations about values, mental health, or how to care for each other during hard times. Even small acts of communication like a text, a check-in, a shared article, or a “thinking of you” message can be powerful tools for connection and care. The goal isn’t to have perfect conversations, but to stay human with each other through them.
Practical Ways to Communicate
- Send a quick “thinking of you” or “just checking in” text to someone you care about.
- Pass along an article, podcast, or resource with a short note like, “This reminded me of our conversation” or “Curious what you think about this.”
- Ask a low-pressure question to open a conversation: “How are you holding up with everything going on lately?” or “What’s been on your mind this week?”
- Share how you're feeling about the news or daily life with a simple statement like, “That headline really got to me today,” or “I’m feeling a little off and just needed to say it.”
- Talk about the steps you’re taking to stay grounded or engaged.
- Let people know it’s okay not to have all the answers. Phrases like, “I’m still figuring out how I feel” or “This is tough to talk about, but I wanted to try” can open the door to honest dialogue.
- Start small — even commenting on someone’s story, sending a meme, or responding to a message can be a form of showing up and staying connected
- Explore more ways to communicate with purpose