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Change is one of the few constants in life, but knowing that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with—especially for young people.

Adolescents and young adults come face-to-face with life’s uncertainties on multiple fronts: academic pressures, career choices, evolving relationships, and global challenges like climate change or social justice issues. Dealing with these challenges can be particularly overwhelming, leading to anxiety, stress, or even a sense of helplessness.

If we’re being honest, though, it’s not just kids who struggle with change—adults definitely do too!

We recently had a conversation with Dr. Tyanna Snider, pediatric psychologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital and contributor with the Kids Mental Health Foundation, about how to thrive in the face of uncertainty.

Her advice?

“Thriving starts with us as caregivers or trusted adults.”

It Starts With Self
Strengthening your own self-care muscles is key. If we want to be effective role models for the young people in our lives, we first and foremost need to ensure we’re leading from a place of centeredness.

“Taking care of ourselves is crucial—checking in with how we’re coping, managing our emotions, and making time for self-care,” Dr. Snider says. “When we’re in a good place, we can show up as our best selves for the kids in our lives.”

At Camp Fire, we are continually working toward a world where every child thrives to their fullest. As we enter a new year full of new challenges, opportunities, and changes, let’s explore how we can model the skills we all need to face uncertainty with courage and resilience.

The Science of Uncertainty: Why Does It Feel So Hard?
Before we dive into the how behind dealing with change and uncertainty, let’s take a quick look at why it feels so scary to face the unknown.

A key fact to understand is that human brains are designed to seek patterns and predictability.

This trait helped our ancestors survive by allowing them to anticipate threats and plan ahead. It’s what helped early humans outsmart predators and evade environmental dangers, for example.

Of course, in today’s world, we’re no longer worried about outrunning saber-toothed tigers; however, we do face plenty of complex and unpredictable challenges on the daily.

And when we do, that same evolutionary survival instinct kicks in. Sensing a change or unpredictable situation, our brains’ fight-flight-or-freeze response activates to keep us safe.

Our bodies are pumped full of adrenaline and cortisol, triggering all sorts of physical reactions:

Racing heart, tense muscles, shallow breathing, sweaty palms, heightened senses; or shutting down completely, becoming numb and cold with skin turning pale and heart rate plummeting.

The amygdala, often called the brain’s “fear center,” is in charge of assessing threats and activating our fight-flight-or-freeze response. When we encounter an uncertain situation, the amygdala treats it as a potential danger, even if there’s no immediate threat to our survival.

While this is an important survival response, repeated and/or prolonged uncertainty can lead to chronic stress, which comes with loads of negative mental and physical health impacts. Chronic stress is linked to all sorts of negative health issues like depression, anxiety, weakened immune function, and even cardiovascular problems.

Here’s the good news, though: our brains are extremely adaptable, and there are many ways to cope, grow, and even thrive in the midst of change and the unknown.

Foundational Practices for Emotional Regulation & Connection
Studies in neuroscience show that emotional regulation skills, such as mindfulness and self-awareness, can help calm the amygdala and shift our response from a fear-based reaction to a more centered and regulated one.

Techniques like deep breathing, journaling, and focusing on the present moment activate the prefrontal cortex, allowing us to make thoughtful decisions rather than reacting out of fear.

By learning to manage our nervous system, we can transform uncertainty into opportunities for growth and self-discovery.

At Camp Fire, we consider these practices to be essential pieces of our foundation. Let’s explore some of the core practices we use to help youth connect to self, others, and the outdoors in a healthy, balanced way. Hopefully, you can identify a variety of strategies to use for yourself and the young people in your life.

Connecting to Self
One of the first steps to coping with uncertainty is building a stronger connection with yourself. This means tuning into your thoughts, emotions, and values. Two core ways we promote connection to self at Camp Fire is through mindfulness and emotion coaching.

Practice Mindfulness: According to the Oxford Dictionary, “mindfulness” is a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.

There are many ways to practice mindfulness. Some of them include:

·  Journaling: Writing down your thoughts can be a powerful way to process your feelings and gain clarity. Try prompts like “What’s one thing I can control today?” or “What am I feeling right now, and why?”

·  Meditation/Breathwork: Another way to connect with self is through grounding techniques. These simple practices bring you into the present moment and remind your brain and body that you’re safe. Start with deep breathing: inhale for four counts, hold for four, and exhale for four. Or try a body scan—close your eyes, focus on each part of your body, and notice any tension you’re holding. It’s a quick way to calm racing thoughts.

·  Artistic Expression: Art, music, and writing are powerful outlets. You don’t have to be an expert—doodle your feelings, write a song about what’s bothering you, or create a playlist that matches your mood. These activities allow you to explore what you’re feeling without needing to put it into words, making them especially helpful when emotions feel too big to articulate.

Emotion Coaching
One of the foundational practices that Camp Fire uses to train staff is called to emotion coaching: a process where adults help young people be aware of and name their emotions. The goal is to help them understand their feelings, navigate them successfully, and make choices they feel good about.

“One of the best things we can do as adults is to start conversations. This allows kids to feel heard and recognize that their thoughts and feelings are important,” Dr. Snider explains.

Some guidelines for emotion coaching include:

·  Help kids name their emotion. A resource like the Feelings Wheel can be helpful in pinpointing a more precise feeling.

·  Offer a listening ear rather than a solution—resist the urge to “fix” it for them! “Resist the urge to problem-solve! Sometimes, kids just want to be heard, comforted, or reassured,” Dr. Snider says.

·  Suspend judgment. There are no “good” or “bad” emotions! Emotions are simply signals that tell us something needs attention.

·  Get at the root. Help them talk through the cause of their emotion: What happened to make you feel this way?

·  Help them determine what they need to move forward. Often, this means encouraging them to try a mindfulness practice as described above.

·  Celebrate joy, accomplishments, and proud moments too; it’s not just the tricky feelings that need to be named!

Learning to acknowledge and process emotions in a regulated way is a huge emotional intelligence skill that will pay dividends throughout a person’s life. Children with high emotional intelligence demonstrate important skills such as self-regulation, empathy, motivation, communication, problem-solving, and relationship management—all important pieces one needs to thrive no matter what life brings our way!

Building Strong Community Connections
“Perhaps the secret of living well is not in having all the answers but in pursuing unanswerable questions in good company.” -Rachel Naomi Remen

We weren’t meant to face life’s challenges alone. Supportive relationships buffer stress; in the absence of protective relationships, tolerable stress can lead to toxic stress. While having a support system can make a huge difference when dealing with uncertainty, finding that connection isn’t always simple.

Young people are feeling more isolated and lonelier than ever in today’s society, particularly youth from marginalized segments of our population. Here are some ways young people can find a sense of community and support:

- Peer Support Groups or Youth Organizations
Peer support groups offer a safe space to share experiences with others who understand. These groups can range from mental health-focused circles to interest-based organizations like environmental clubs, creative collectives, or advocacy groups. Young people may also seek out identity-based groups to find a sense of belonging. For example, many Camp Fire affiliates offer 2SLGBTQ+ clubs.

- Group Activities
Participating in group activities fosters a sense of belonging and shared purpose. Local libraries, community centers, or nonprofit organizations often organize free or low-cost events or group gatherings for youth. These activities not only provide social support but also create a sense of accomplishment, which can be grounding in times of uncertainty. At Camp Fire, some affiliates offer club and small group activities, using our Starflight and Adventure curriculum.

- Volunteering
Giving back is a great way to shift your focus, build meaningful relationships, and make a difference in the community. You can help young people identify volunteer opportunities by reaching out to local organizations or by checking a website like VolunteerMatch.

Many Camp Fire affiliates offer Teens in Action programs that provide opportunities for service and community. See more about what some of our teens have been up to in our last People & Impact Report.

Talk It Out: Encourage the young people in your life to share their feelings with someone they can trust—a friend, family member, or mentor. Often, just being heard can make a situation feel less overwhelming.

At Camp Fire, we are serious about fostering connection and a sense of belonging for all youth. Some of the practices we train our staff to incorporate in our group gatherings include the following:

·  Welcoming young people with warm greetings, using first names, and actively orienting them to the day’s activities

·  Sharing pronouns and encouraging youth to share theirs

·  Prompting discussion with low-risk (even silly!) questions and get-to-know-you activities

·  Practicing active listening, which includes allowing time for silence and reflection in group settings

Dr. Snider emphasizes how important it is for adults to establish predictable routines like these.

“Routines provide a sense of security and predictability, which can help alleviate the anxiety that stems from uncertainty. When kids feel in control of certain parts of their day, it can ease the discomfort of things they can’t control.”

Building Resilience Together
Change and uncertainty are a part of life, but they don’t have to derail us. By focusing on connection—to ourselves and to others, we can build resilience and find strength in the midst of the unknown.

We’d love to hear from you! How do you cope with uncertainty? Share your favorite strategies in the comments or join us at one of our upcoming events. Together, we can face the future with resiliency and strength, one step at a time.

Additional Resources from the Kids Mental Health Foundation

·  Helping Kids Cope with Strong Emotions

·  Starting the Conversation with Kids

·  7 Ways to Cultivate Happiness

·  Mooderators - The Kids Mental Health Foundation