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Learning to Sit With Uncertainty
How do you deal with uncertainty?
Honestly, I don’t deal with uncertainty very well. It’s always been difficult for me because I like to know what is going to happen, where I’m going, what I’m supposed to do, and what to expect. When I don’t have those answers, my mind starts filling in the blanks.
And more often than not, it doesn’t fill them in with anything particularly helpful.
I think part of what makes uncertainty so uncomfortable is that there is nothing I can really do to control it. I can plan, prepare, and think through every possible scenario, but eventually, there are things that are simply out of my hands.
I’m the kind of person who likes to know all the details ahead of time, so I feel prepared for every possible outcome. But life throws you curveballs sometimes, and no matter how much you prepare for something, a whole new direction can change the trajectory.
There could be a change of plans. A delayed flight. A conversation that doesn’t go the way you thought it would. A decision I don’t know how to make. A future I can’t quite picture yet.
So, over time, I’ve started finding little ways to make uncertainty easier to deal with.
One of the biggest things is giving myself something I can control.
If I’m traveling, I might make a packing list. I’ll look at the schedule a few dozen times, figure out where I need to be, and make sure I have the things that make me feel comfortable. I may not be able to control everything that happens during the trip, but I can make sure I have my headphones, my snacks, comfortable clothes, and a few familiar things with me.
I always try to remind myself that I don’t need to know everything right now. And even though that is hard for me, it’s a lot easier than panicking about things that don’t go as planned.
The thing is, I feel a sense of safety and calm when I know the answers ahead of time. I like knowing how something is going to turn out. I like to know whether I’m making the right decision before I make it.
But sometimes there isn’t an answer yet.
Sometimes you just have to take the next step and see what happens.
I always have to remind myself that uncertainty doesn’t automatically mean what comes next will be terrible. In fact, it could actually be something wonderful.
That doesn’t always make the uncertainty disappear, but it does give me another possibility to consider.
And sometimes, I try to stay in the present instead of jumping too far ahead.
I don’t think I’ll ever master uncertainty.
I still overthink, worry, and want to know what happens next. But I’m learning that the goal isn’t to eliminate uncertainty. It’s learning that I can handle not knowing.
I can create a plan without expecting everything to go according to it.
I can prepare without trying to control every outcome.
And I can remind myself that I have gotten through uncertain moments before.
The truth is, I didn’t always know how those moments would turn out. But eventually, they became something I could look back on.
Perhaps that’s what makes uncertainty a little easier to live with.
You don’t have to know the whole story.
Sometimes, you just have to trust yourself enough to keep turning the page.
How do you handle uncertainty when you don’t know what comes next?
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”— Albert Einstein
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