Why uncertainty is bad

While uncertainty and change are inescapable parts of life, we often adopt behaviors to try to cope with the discomfort they can bring.

In addition to worrying through every possible scenario , you may:. Excessively seek reassurance from others. Micromanage people. You refuse to delegate tasks to others, either at work or home. You may even try to force people around you to change, to make their behavior more predictable for you. By not making decisions, you hope to avoid the uncertainty that inevitably follows. Repeatedly check things. By challenging your need for certainty, you can begin to let go of negative behaviors, reduce stress and worry, and free up time and energy for more practical purposes.

No matter how much you strive to eliminate doubt and volatility from your life, the truth is you already accept a lot of uncertainty every day. The chances of something bad happening in these circumstances is small, so you accept the risk and move on without requiring certainty.

When irrational fears and worries take hold, it can be hard to think logically and accurately weigh up the probability of something bad happening. To help you become more tolerant and accepting of uncertainty, the following steps can help:. Identify your uncertainty triggers.

A lot of uncertainty tends to be self-generated, through excessive worrying or a pessimistic outlook, for example.

However, some uncertainty can be generated by external sources, especially at times like this. Reading media stories that focus on worst-case scenarios, spending time on social media amid rumors and half-truths, or simply communicating with anxious friends can all fuel your own fears and uncertainties.

By recognizing your triggers, you can take action to avoid or reduce your exposure to them. Recognize when you feel the need for certainty. Notice when you start to feel anxious and fearful about a situation, begin to worry about what-ifs, or feel like a situation is far worse than it actually is.

You might notice the tension in your neck or shoulders, shortness of breath, the onset of a headache, or an empty feeling in your stomach. Allow yourself to feel the uncertainty.

Instead of engaging in futile efforts to gain control over the uncontrollable, let yourself experience the discomfort of uncertainty. Like all emotions, if you allow yourself to feel fear and uncertainty, they will eventually pass. Take some slow, deep breaths or try a meditation to keep you anchored in the present.

Let go. All you can do is let go and accept the uncertainty as part of life. Shift your attention. Focus on solvable worries, taking action on those aspects of a problem that you can control, or simply go back to what you were doing. When your mind wanders back to worrying or the feelings of uncertainty return, refocus your mind on the present moment and your own breathing. Life is simply too random and unpredictable. Uncertainty is often centered on worries about the future and all the bad things you can anticipate happening.

It can leave you feeling hopeless and depressed about the days ahead, exaggerate the scope of the problems you face, and even paralyze you from taking action to overcome a problem.

One of the surest ways to avoid worrying about the future is to focus on the present. By being fully connected to the present, you can interrupt the negative assumptions and catastrophic predictions running through your mind. You can learn to purposely focus your attention on the present through mindfulness. With regular practice, mindfulness can help change your preoccupation with future worries to a stronger appreciation of the present moment—as well as help calm your mind, ease stress, and boost your overall mood.

You can start a mindfulness practice by following an audio meditation or incorporating it into an exercise program, such as walking. Using mindfulness to stay focused on the present can take perseverance.

Initially, you may find that your focus keeps wandering back to your future fears and worries—but keep at it. The researchers measured how stressed the individuals felt and looked at physical markers of stress like pupil dilation and sweat.

They found that most of the men and women felt more stressed when they were uncertain, compared to when they knew definitively the shock was coming. Of course, there are many day-to-day situations sans snakes and shocks where this kind of thing plays out. The researchers acknowledge that the study was small, but that it nevertheless adds nuance to the understanding of how people respond to stress. Contact us at letters time. By Alexandra Sifferlin. Get our Health Newsletter.

Sign up to receive the latest health and science news, plus answers to wellness questions and expert tips. Please enter a valid email address. But I found a higher paying job within weeks of graduation, where I met my mentor and some of my dearest friends. Yes, I endured the agony of infertility for two years. But after corrective surgeries that also improved my overall health , I became pregnant with a baby girl who has brought exponentially more sleep-deprivation joy into my life than all the despair caused by those years of infertility.

Or be forced outside our comfort zone. Or discover something previously unknown to us or the world! So now when I feel the urge to control all the things , I do what sounds incredibly simple to most, but has always been difficult for me. But learning to slow down and focus on my breath has been life changing. I catch myself holding my breath all the time. Our brains need oxygen to think clearly. And without sufficient oxygen, the brain goes into fight-or-flight mode. All too often my battlefield is the supermarket or a blog post—situations in which breath is preferable to adrenaline.

But you know what is? Studies show that regularly expressing gratitude increases feelings of happiness and well-being. I admit I was skeptical when I first learned about gratitude practice as a way to boost happiness. Especially since it advocates keeping a gratitude journal. I am such a resistant journaler. Note to self: Work through fear of journaling…through journaling. Luckily, keeping a gratitude journal is nothing like the feelings poured onto page upon page that I imagined.

But until then, maintaining a gratitude practice will ease the discomfort uncertainty brings. I sometimes wonder how my life would be different today if someone at my law school orientation had outlined some practical ways of coping with uncertainty—like basic mindfulness—instead of characterizing an aversion to uncertainty as a personality flaw. Maybe I would have embraced the certainty of uncertainty sooner, possibly avoiding countless hours of heartache and anxiety.

Man walking image via Shutterstock. Annie Little is a trained life coach, former attorney and the founder of JD Nation where she helps lawyers regain control of their careers, beat burnout and start enjoying their lives again. You can follow her on Twitter , Facebook and LinkedIn. This site is not intended to provide and does not constitute medical, legal, or other professional advice.

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