Times of uncertainty can be positive, such as when moving to a new city. However, when it occurs in an unexpected way, it is often stressful and difficult. But no matter what form the uncertainty takes, remember that you always have a choice. You can either adapt to change or reject it and suffer as a result.
Why do we need times of uncertainty?
All of our behaviors are governed by six human needs that are necessary to achieve our happiness, and both certainty and uncertainty top the list of these basic needs. We all want more certainty in our lives in order to overcome fear and direct our lives to achieve our goals. Certainty is the emotion that allows us to accomplish what once seemed impossible, enhances our ability to achieve, lead, and act, and is a resource that we can access instantly.
At the same time, when you think of the opposite of certainty, which is uncertainty or variety, you might think that it causes fear, anxiety, and doubt. However, the truth is that uncertainty is just as important as certainty for living a fulfilling life because uncertainty opens up room for surprise and joy in our lives and allows us to experience entirely new feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and strategies.
The irony is that we need both certainty and uncertainty. We need both forces to live fulfilling and successful lives. Uncertainty frees us and allows us to do new things, while certainty allows us to get anything we want out of life.
How to deal with uncertainty?
Life would actually be boring without uncertainty. Instead of eliminating uncertainty in your life, learn how to balance certainty and uncertainty so that you can meet all of your basic needs.
9 tips for dealing with uncertainty in your life:
1. Take responsibility
Many people's reaction, when faced with uncertainty, is to close in on themselves. People often mistake the concepts of closing in on themselves and letting go of something or someone when it comes to dealing with uncertainty. While letting go is a positive act that frees us from our need to control everything, closing in is a completely different matter.
It is easy to choose not to get involved when you are faced with difficulties. This is the option that requires less effort, but it is also the option that discourages you and prevents you from controlling your life. Therefore, instead of running away from change, accept it, take responsibility, and realize that the only person who can change your life is you.
2. Shift your focus
Uncertainty is often caused by things beyond our control, such as someone else's actions, a natural disaster, the death of a loved one, or, as is the case today, a pandemic. This plays a part of why it's so stressful, and it's also key to dealing with it. When we try to control these events and circumstances that are out of our control, we end up feeling anxious.
For example, you certainly will not try to control the weather because you already know that this is impossible and will only lead to your frustration, and trying to control others will have the same result. To deal with uncertainty, focus your energy on the things you can control, such as your emotions, thoughts, and actions. Then, you will replace your stress with confidence.
3. Set a Vision
When it comes to dealing with uncertainty, visualization can be very helpful. Imagine what you want. For example, if you are unemployed, imagine what your ideal career would look like. If you recently moved to a new city, imagine what you would want your life to be like there. If you are having a problem with your partner, imagine what you would like your dream relationship to be like and what would be the ideal way to communicate with each other.
The vision should excite you, so be persuasive and draw you in, not force it on yourself. It is something you want more than anything else, and it moves your emotions. Therefore, visualize this goal, see how it makes you feel, and then harness all of your senses to it. This helps you restore the balance that sometimes uncertainty can affect.
4. Make a decision
It's time to say to yourself: "Okay, I'm not going to end up here, and I hope everything will be fine in the end. I will control this situation and my emotions." Never hesitate, make a decision that you will find a solution, and take action to achieve the vision that you have set. While you may not be able to control times of uncertainty, you will at least be confident that you have a plan to stick to.
5. Find Your Reasons
Now that you have your vision and have dedicated yourself to working towards that goal, you must know why you want to achieve that outcome. When dealing with uncertainty, focusing on your goal is crucial.
This is one of the most important components for making progress in times of uncertainty because without it, you will lose motivation. While you will inevitably face obstacles when going through challenging times of uncertainty, your motivation will help you overcome them. When you feel stressed and overwhelmed, your motivation will motivate you to keep working, and you won't allow fear or negative thoughts to get the better of you.
You can frame your reasons in a positive or negative way. For example, you can say, "If I don't do this, I will lose that." On the other hand, you can say, "If I do this, I will gain that." What matters is that your motives stem from a strong desire within you and that they make you feel certain. It cannot be superficial but must be connected to a deep goal that has a strong emotional impact.
Remember, when you feel helpless in times of uncertainty, you must find your motives first, then the answers will follow. Find the meaning you seek from achieving your goal, and allow that to help you reach your goal when the odds are tough.
6. Think about your goal every day
Think back to something you wanted more than anything else, something you craved so much that you felt a deep desire to have, something you were so clear about that you thought about it almost every day. Maybe you didn't know how to achieve it, and uncertainty took place. Then all of a sudden, you attracted the right situation or the right people, and everything you wanted to happen at once.
A part of your brain called the reticular activation system (RAS) determines what you notice in your surroundings. When you clearly define a goal, and you have enough strong reasons to support your intention, you will trigger this system into action, and then you become acutely observant of everything going on around you. It can help you achieve that goal, and with it, the uncertainty disappears.
Invest fully in your vision, make it a central part of your focus every day, and then start to notice your surroundings in times of uncertainty, as the opportunities and ideas that you encounter may surprise you.
7. Raise your bar
If you want to make a real difference in your life and develop effective ways to deal with uncertainty, you must raise your standards.
When did you determine what you can or cannot do in your life? Reflect on any part of your life in which you feel limited, and ask yourself when you decided to accept that as a reality. For many of us, it's these self-imposed limitations that keep us from making any real progress in our lives. Because we have convinced ourselves that our current situation is what we deserve, this is what we built our identity on, and then it became the life we live.
If you want to grow and develop in times of uncertainty, you must raise your standards and let go of the limiting beliefs that keep you content with your current situation. You must begin to see uncertainty as a challenge to rise above. Make progress central, and don’t settle for less. This will require training, as it is not something that happens overnight, but the more iterative and affirmative the thinking and behaviors of the new identity you are seeking to acquire, the greater your mental capabilities will be in finding ways to turn it into reality.
8. Adopt habits that fit your standards
You must support your new standards with habits that can help you reach them. Habits are small things you do every day that eventually generate strong momentum so that you chart a clear path leading to your vision. Therefore, you can eliminate uncertainty by adopting the right habits.
If you are dissatisfied with your current situation and feel that creating the life you want is an overwhelming challenge, break it down into small steps, and start training your body and emotions in some small habits. For example, this might mean going for a run in the morning, making a healthy breakfast, or meeting a friend every week. It could even mean doing something nice for someone else once a day. Knowing that you are improving your surroundings will help you endure times of uncertainty.
Habits carry tremendous power and shape our character. They help us apply our standards and deal with the uncertainty that change brings. Remember, when you are going through difficult times that you have a choice, either to let go of control and shut yourself up or to take action.
9. Evaluate your progress
The secret to dealing with times of uncertainty is to focus on progress. You will feel alive if you can make regular progress. You may think that it is very difficult because when you feel lost, it is difficult to understand what is happening. Not to mention understanding the steps that need to be taken to move forward. But by setting SMART Goals, tracking your progress, and celebrating your successes, you can bring a sense of order and certainty to a chaotic period and can start building something new.
In Conclusion
Living the life you want and dealing with uncertainty is not something happens overnight. It happens gradually by taking small actions, having a strong vision that you can visualize very clearly and feel a deep desire to fulfill, caring for others, taking every opportunity to connect, being fun, and respecting and caring for your loved ones.
No matter how tough times of uncertainty are, don't let it determine your destiny. Make a decision to face it, and follow these tips so no matter how lost you feel, you will be able to live the life you want and deserve.
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