Life is uncertain and that’s a fact.

With ups and downs in life, the challenges will naturally grow and there is no question about it. The unpredictable nature of life makes you feel that your life is less secure.

Most of us have dealt with uncertainty at some time in our lives. But certain situations made many of us to feel uncertain much longer than we have before.

Uncertainty is uncomfortable

You plan for better future and need to feel in control of things. And there is nothing wrong about it. After all, you like to feel safe and secure.

But when unexpected things happen, it interferes with your sense of control. You may feel like you are unable to look to the future. Making plans become difficult. You may not know exactly your life is heading. You may not be able to commit for goals and purpose. So much so that you cannot predict how you will be feeling.

To the human brain, uncertainty feels like danger.  If you’re worried a lot, you may find yourself paying attention to every worst-case scenario that may happen by chance. In turn, this can increase your general level of anxiety. And it’s scary even to think.

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The constant need for your brain to differentiate between real and perceived threats or inability to analyze conflicting thought is overwhelming.

Furthermore, when you experience uncertain threats about a future, it makes sense to prepare yourself for the unknown as the best course of action. But that amount of attention can lead to burnout.

Subsequently, fear of unknows may make you feel anxious, angry, sad, or afraid. You may even have physical symptoms from these feelings. For instance, it may cause sleeping problems or make it harder to focus at work. 

It makes complete sense that you get impacted with rumination, anticipation and fear. Therefore, prioritizing healthy coping strategies will help you navigate the ups and downs. While nothing may seem certain, you do have the ability to deal with uncertainty. 

Finding comfort in uncertain times

Journey of life is not something you determine. It is something that goes in its own way.

So, the question is how to find comfort in uncertain times?

Well, there is no well-established method to overcome uncertainty but there are things you can do to reduce the stress you feel when dealing with uncertainty.

The first thing is to accept the fact that uncertainty is a part of life.

Uncertainty is simply the absence of certainty about the future or not knowing what is going to happen next. This ambiguity emerges when you are not clear about the way forward, and anxiety takes over when the perceived way forward may contain a threat.

Uncertainty makes you to anticipate what will happen in addition to preparing to deal with all the different scenarios.  You start to think about multiple outcomes and try to prepare yourselves for them before they even happen. 

What you think of as uncertainty is, at its simplest, the brain trying to choose the best course of action. This means making decisions that ensure safety and survival. Inability to take concrete action can take a toll on you psychologically. And that’s what make uncertainty challenging and therefore, seems as a problem. 

It is everywhere whether it’s education, job, relationship, family and health.

When a state of uncertainty drags on for months, your protective mechanism can do more harm than good.

You’re saddled with a deeper sense of uncertainty about what you want next. Getting worried is natural when you are unsure of the path forward. In fact, not knowing what to do may be your biggest issue. 

All the fear-based sign tells you to play it safe. Not having a specific destination to fixate on allows you to step back and wonder about future paths.

In fact, much of a human apparent quest for meaningful life focus on familiarity and clarity about the situation which brings stability and keeps stress and anxiety at bay. These natural instincts are to impose certainty on ambiguity to regain a sense of control.

With this acceptance, the second thing you can do is learning to accept your feelings.

What do I mean by that?

This just meant to remain flexible and accepts what is going on. 

Uncertainty often begins with the question “what if” and follow with imagination of an event that you find intolerable. What if I missed out important thing in my life? What if I am not successful in my life? What if I get rejected ? What if people criticize and blame me? What if the life unfold in a dramatic way?

Failure to overcome such kind of questions result in anxiety, nervousness, or some other unwanted internal state including vivid mental storylines of bad consequences.

Therefore, it’s one hundred percent okay to be sad, frustrated, resentful or whatever else you’re feeling.

Yes, things are uncertain and possibly bad. 

But is it happening with you right now?

Definitely not…

All these are future related worries that might happen by a chance.

Therefore, validating how you feel does not mean that your worries could be true. What it means is that you accept the possibility, however small, that consequences are going to be there. 

Acknowledging  your fears doesn’t mean that you believe these concerns. It just meant that possibilities can exist at a level greater than absolutely nothing. This allows for the understanding that possibility may be so low.

If you assume that the possibility of your fear is still less, it can be a freeing one.

Rather than considering an uncertainty as the worst scenario, you are able to free yourself up to the point to frame thoughts in right direction.

In other words, try to work on your thought pattern no matter what the situation is externally.

To say these things, increasing your ability to open up to, accept and even embrace uncertainty is essential to look at everything with utmost clarity and address every issue with best of your ability.

Disclaimer

Mediclin Brain Health’s content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.