The older I get the more I realize how much I crave stability. In my relationships, finances, career. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I need to control everything – though some may argue that – but I like predictability and knowing, relatively, how things are going to work out. So when some things don’t go to plan, or when they’re totally upended, table-flipped, topsy-turvy upside-down.. I really don’t know how to react.
My previous career was news. I consumed it because I had to. But also because it gave me a sense of knowing. I knew things before the general public and it was my job to decipher that information, make sense of it, and share it with the community in the most user-friendly way. I was the person who explained things and made them easier to digest and hopefully made them less scary.
I can’t do that anymore. I don’t have that access to the newest and latest information before anyone else; I don’t get to ask the people in charge the important questions. And now, worse, I feel like a victim for all the growing uncertainty in my current career field. I didn’t really see the impact of 9/11 on the airlines. I had only been on an airplane twice before that. I didn’t know anyone in aviation. I didn’t know the flight attendants who were furloughed for years never knowing if they’d get their wings back.
But I am that flight attendant now. Or could be. Maybe. And that’s my struggle.. I don’t know what is going to happen. I don’t know if I should be looking for part-time jobs, taking money out of my investment accounts, looking at other education degrees that may get me through any possible furlough.
Part of the reason I left news was the uncertainty of it. You sign on for two to three years at a time and either extend your contract, move to another station in a different city or state, or the station decides not to renew your contract. In the airlines, I’m on a forever contract. I have a union, job protection, a clear pay scale spelled out over the next 13 years. Everything is seniority based and goes in a specific, agreed upon order. There’s stability, predictability. Flights take off and land and go to certain destinations at the same time day after day after day.
But that’s all changed. There is no predictability. Things are changing rapidly and where I would previously be glued to my twitter feed watching everything unfold, I can’t do that knowing that my job, my career, my livelihood, is on the line. There is no comfort in being absorbed by the news anymore.
So what can we do? What can we do to cope and keep at least our mental stability since we really have no control over anything else?
For one, for me, writing. Getting my thoughts and feelings on paper (or a computer screen) has always been cathartic for me and made me feel better. Talking with peers and sharing concerns but also plans of action is another option. I have already asked some questions on what I should be doing if push comes to shove and what my options might be. There’s also reading, working out, cooking, organizing your house — any activity that keeps your mind preoccupied and busy and makes you feel productive and useful will benefit you during this uncertain time.
Lastly – just be kind. Think of others. Hug your friends and family (after self-isolation and social distancing is lifted of course). It’s a scary world out there and everything can change in a second. But the one thing we can all count on is the sun will rise again and it’s always a great day to have a great day.
AAdventure Seeker 