How Uncomfortable Are You with Uncertainty?
What uncertainties have you experienced lately? Both minor and less minor?
Will the store have the brand I want?
With inflation, how much will my grocery bill be this week?
When will the power come back on?
Will this traffic jam make me late for my appointment?
Will my child's sniffles mean she'll have to stay home from school tomorrow?
How is she doing at sleep-away camp?
Will I finish this job in time?
Am I going to be downsized?
How soon can I get an appointment with the doctor?
What will the lab test show?
Will he like me?
Will he call again?
Uncertainty is stressful. A recent article in the New York Times (Jan. 13, 2024) describes recent discoveries that suggest that managing uncertainty well lowers anxiety, builds resilience, and increases one's ability to solve problems.
Inability to Tolerate Uncertainty
Studies show that those who score poorly on a test of their ability to tolerate uncertainty tend to be more rigid, wanting immediate answers to uncertain situations. They are more likely to struggle with anxiety, depression, and eating disorders; and to abuse substances, disengage from life, and use denial as a maladaptive defense mechanism.
The Benefits of Tolerating Uncertainty
Tolerating uncertainty well helps us with our learning and our ability to adapt to uncertain situations. It helps us become more open-minded, flexible, and curious. And sometimes there is no one right answer; tolerating uncertainty enables one to find the best answer rather than seizing on the first one that may come to mind.
Therapies that Help
Studies have found that cognitive behavioral therapy, exposing subjects to increasing situations of uncertainty, enabled them to master their fear of it. And a brief course of psychotherapy to help people accept uncertainty enabled participants to be more resilient and more able to bounce back from adversity.
The Inner Guide
Our Inner Guides can help. If the uncertainty is caused by a choice that we can make, our Inner Guides will make known to us what the best choice would be. They may tell us directly or they may simply influence us; we may just feel moved to make a certain choice.
What about the uncertainties that don't involve a choice; the times when events are out of our control and we must wait for something to happen...or not happen? Our Inner Guides may divert our attention from a dilemma by causing us to lose ourselves in a pleasurable activity. (I have had this experience.) And they may cause us to feel a sense of peace during this time. If you don't yet have an Inner Guide, you can acquire it here: https://emotionalcomfort.com/blog/post/you-can-acquire-an-inner-guide-part-4
