Uncertainty is, well, just that – uncertain. Uncertainty can elicit many feelings. To be clear, it can be a good thing. Uncertainty plays a critical role in sports, for example. Nobody would want to watch a game where the outcome is certain. Uncertainty also looms large in engaging plots and storylines. The more uncertain the ending, the better the movie. More generally, uncertainty makes life interesting. It keeps people on their toes, waiting, and watching to see what comes next. Just as significantly, however, uncertainty can also create a sense of fear, anxiety, or dread, which can easily slip into despair, hopelessness, or depression.
Uncertainty, 2020 and Moving Forward
2020 has offered unprecedented levels of uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic took our normal way of living and ripped it in two. Especially for the most vulnerable populations, simple daily activities such as going shopping, sending kids to school, getting up and going to work, or travelling to visit family– all of which we took as certainties – practically overnight became uncertain, fraught with anxiety, and sometimes even impossible.
And this is not even to mention the isolation, the sickness, the suffering, and the tragic loss of life. Making matters worse, there’s no end in sight – it could be months, it could be years – and in the meantime we wait, do our best to keep going, taking a breath in and a breath out, in a collective pool of uncertainty.
WILA can’t wait to get back into the office, but we’re grateful to be able to serve our community online
Since 1974, The Wright Institute Los Angeles has offered one certainty. With its comfortable offices, prime location, and superior clinicians, WILA offers a low fee sliding scale for diverse populations in need of psychological services. While it’s unfortunate that our immaculate offices sit mostly empty, and we can’t wait until we get to see our patients face-to-face again, Wright Institute has adapted and moved entirely online.
WILA can and does remain a certainty in Los Angeles, but only because of the help of our many, many kind and generous donors to whom no words can express the depth of our gratitude. When our supporters, of any age, walk of life, and cultural background, come together with one goal in mind – to help us keep our (currently, virtual) doors open – we can only repay you by continuing to serve our community. During these uncertain times, when you donate to WILA this giving season you are giving our community members the gift of certainty. The gift of a permanent safe space and of ongoing support without an expiration date for treatment and growth.
*This Giving Tuesday, December 1, you can donate to Wright Institute Los Angeles. Any amount helps.
