Caught in between

The inclination to keep to yourself during periods of uncertainty can be strong, but connecting with others is healing in all kinds of ways

The day gets off to an ordinary start. You shower, have breakfast, then get ready to go to work or do some errands. You’re going about your routine as usual, but your mind is somewhere else entirely, poring over a difficult situation, and you’re finding it hard to concentrate on anything else. Perhaps you’re waiting for a health issue to be diagnosed. Or maybe you’re applying for jobs and receiving nothing but rejections. Or a relationship has hit rocky ground and you’re not sure how things stand between you.

As you’re about to walk out the door, your phone buzzes. It’s a friend, eager to catch up over coffee. However, you’re not in the right frame of mind to meet today, and you doubt you’ll feel differently tomorrow. It’s not that you don’t want to see this friend. It’s just that not knowing how things are going to turn out in your life is making you feel like battening down the hatches and hiding away from the world. Perhaps it’s taking all your mental energy just to get through each day.

This situation is often referred to as living in limbo – experiencing an indefinite period of uncertainty and waiting with apprehension for an outcome that might or might not go the way you want it to.