Although today's reflection is rooted in politics, it is ultimately about psychology, wellbeing and how we protect our peace in uncertain times.
Politics has always been part of life. Governments change. Policies change. Priorities change. None of that is new.
What has changed is how difficult it has become to escape it.
News arrives. Social media ensures every disagreement in the news becomes public. Every decision is analysed before we've had time to understand and absorb it. Every headline seems to carry another dire warning about what might happen next.
For many, politics has stopped being something they follow. It has become something they feel. It hits.
The uncertainty doesn't simply stay where you last listened or watched the news. It follows us into our conversations, into relationships, into workplaces and, eventually, into our state of mind – our mental wellbeing.
Human beings are not designed to live comfortably with constant uncertainty.
Our brains naturally look for stability and certainty.
We want to believe politicians are working for us – that they have our backs. That we can sleep at night. That we can live another day without constant worry. That, somehow, things will be okay. That they'll bring us peace. Even if life isn't peaceful, we need to believe it's predictable enough not to keep chipping away at our mental wellbeing.
When that sense of certainty disappears, the mind begins to feel overwhelmed. It searches for clarity. It searches for answers. That is why periods of political uncertainty often leave people feeling more anxious, more emotionally exhausted and more irritable.
It isn't necessarily because people understand every policy or every economic decision.
It's because uncertainty itself is asking too much of us.
Brexit also exposed a deeper concern that continues to shape how many people view politics today. For many, it reinforced the belief that political success and party interests take precedence over the wellbeing of the people politicians are elected to represent. Years of economic uncertainty, rising costs and questions about future opportunities have left people feeling that the standard of living and sense of stability they once took for granted has become harder to achieve. Whether or not that perception is shared by everyone, the psychological impact is real: when people lose confidence that those in power are acting in their interests, uncertainty becomes more than a political issue – it becomes a personal one. Source: Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), Leaving the EU Would Almost Certainly Damage Our Economic Prospects (2016); Living Standards, Poverty and Inequality in the UK: 2024 (IFS, 2024).
This may help explain why, ten years after the referendum was called, political uncertainty continues to affect many people. For some, it is no longer simply about legislation, elections or economic forecasts. It's about trust. When people begin to question whether those making decisions are genuinely acting in the interests of the public, uncertainty can become chronic rather than temporary. And chronic uncertainty is one of the greatest psychological stressors. It quietly erodes mental wellbeing, making it harder to plan the future, to feel secure and, ultimately, to flourish.
Some people may respond by avoiding the news altogether. Others check it constantly, hoping the next headline will provide reassurance. Both reactions often leave people feeling less settled.
We cannot always control what governments decide or how the world changes around us, but we can control how much space those changes are allowed to occupy in our own minds.
Being informed is healthy. Living in a constant state of alarm is not.
There is a difference between paying attention and carrying the emotional weight of every political disagreement and decision.
Perhaps the healthiest approach is recognising that while politics influences our lives, it shouldn't completely define them.
Even in uncertain times, life continues to exist between the headlines. Finding moments of calm is not indifference. It's how we protect our mental wellbeing while the world continues to change around us.
Uncertainty isn't something we can always eliminate, but something we need to learn to live alongside. Throughout history, societies have faced political upheaval, economic change and periods of deep disagreement, yet people have continued to build families, support neighbours, create communities and find reasons for hope. Peace does not come from believing the future will always be certain. It comes from knowing that, whatever changes around us, we still have the capacity to care for one another, to make thoughtful choices and to focus on the values that remain constant.
Politics will always create debate – and that's fine as long as it's healthy. It should never take away our peace.
