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Mental health in uncertain times: What to do when everything feels shaky
May 28, 2025
We are an amazing species, but there are things we human beings don’t do very well. For one, we can’t tolerate uncertainty. In fact, the distress caused by uncertainty can erode our mental health.
Uncertainty is the inability to predict or explain what will happen. We all experience uncertainty in our personal lives, and at every stage of life, and fear and worry are considered normal responses (WHO, 2020). But in the extreme, uncertainty can make it harder to feel joy and control emotions. It can overwhelm us, affect how we function day to day, and interfere with our relationships.
Uncertainty can also cause deep distress. Studies show that while it has mild benefits, uncertainty is often linked to anxiety, depression, greater substance use, and higher rates of suicide.
We can’t talk about uncertainty in Canada today without reference to the new U.S. administration, with its tariffs and threats of annexation. We were on shaky ground already: the affordability and housing crises have been fueling uncertainty here for far too long. You may be feeling overwhelmed, helpless and afraid, even anxious and depressed.
But economic instability isn’t all we’re up against. We’ve been seeing a rise in hateful views that target people who are trans, homeless, or living with addictions. As the impact of U.S. policies spill over to our side of the border, threats to diversity, including an anti-immigrant sentiment, will likely build up here too, taking an even greater toll on mental health. A recent poll by Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) found that 42 per cent of people in Canada have elevated levels of anxiety already.
Of course, the U.S. government is not our only source of insecurity. Climate change emergencies, the growing drug toxicity crisis, and wars overseas also trigger fears that can wreak havoc on our mental health.
So, what can we do?
When uncertainty becomes so pervasive and threatening that it becomes part of our everyday lives, distress can reach a tipping point. That’s when individuals and communities can step up to become a force for change. That’s when we put the pressure on our leaders to fund mental health care—seriously.
But not just heath care alone. Protecting mental health goes beyond health services. We can’t be well without housing, jobs, and groceries, and all our governments have a role to play in that.
How to be a catalyst for change:
- Join our movement for mental health. We’ll send you what you need to advocate for change.
- Reach out to your (freshly) elected representatives and use the tools we send you to facilitate conversations about mental health and related issues such as housing affordability.
- Join a group or association in your community to build a movement capable of greater influence.
- Be the one who starts the conversation locally and in your networks.
Take care of yourself
We can’t escape uncertainty or make threats go away, but there are things within our own control that can help us cope and weather the storm.
Limit your exposure to it all
If you’re consuming too much information, the constant barrage can contribute to feeling overwhelmed and worried.
- Cut back on the news: limit the amount of time you spend on news apps using your phone’s digital well-being controls or choose to reduce TV or radio news to once a day.
- Turn off your media alerts.
- Limit your use of social media. Misinformation and disinformation are rampant on social channels and can contribute to uncertainty.
Do something that gives you a sense of purpose and power.
- Make conscious choices about where and what you buy, and participate in a “buy Canadian” action.
- If you’re travelling, choose Canadian destinations.
- Start an action of your own or with others. Joining forces and standing together makes it easier to cope, and strong relationships and social ties protect our mental health.
- Talk about it. Invite friends or colleagues to join an honest conversation. Sharing openly about your fears and feelings can reduce stress and isolation.
Use tools to help you cope
Learn coping strategies for managing stress and anxiety.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can help you manage anxiety related to uncertainty. Check out some resources here. Specific techniques include challenging catastrophic thinking and practicing “worry postponement.”
- Also known as stimulus control, worry postponement involves channelling your worries into a specific worry period.
- Mindfulness and staying in the present moment can also help you tolerate uncertainty.
There’s stability in knowing who we are
On the flipside of uncertainty, is stability. Humans crave certainty. As threats to our economy and to freedom spread, let’s lean into what we know is certain: Canada’s democracy is strong.
We have to celebrate and reinforce our strengths:
Our social safety net and public healthcare.
Our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.
Our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Our right to be in charge of our own bodies.
Our right to be safe in all our diversity and differences.
All of these, and so much more, mean human rights and diversity are at the heart of who we are as a country. We have to name these strengths to keep them close, so we know what and who we are defending. Knowing who we are and what we stand for gives us certainty – and that’s something we can use right now.
https://sph.emory.edu/news/news-release/2024/12/mental-health-during-presidential-transition.html
Afifi, W.A., & Afifi, T.D. (2021). Uncertainty and Coping During COVID-19. Communicating COVID-19. Palgrave. Pp 325-344.
Albright, J. N., & Hurd, N. M. (2023). Activism, social support, and trump-related distress: Exploring associations with mental health. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 16(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000316
Kienzler, H., Massazza, A., Kuykendall, R, Tamimi, N, Hammoudeh, W., Giacaman, R. (2025) Uncertainty and mental health: A qualitative scoping review, SSM – Qualitative Research in Health, Volume 7 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100521.
Massazza, A., Kienzler, H., Al-Mitwalli, S., Tamimi N., & Giacaman, R. (2023) The association between uncertainty and mental health: a scoping review of the quantitative literature, Journal of Mental Health, 32:2, 480-491, DOI: 10.1080/09638237.2021.2022620
WHO. (2020). Mental health and COVID-19. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/teams/mental-health-and-substance-use/mental-health-and-covid-19