How to Cope with Uncertainty
By its very nature, the future isn’t predictable. As a result, uncertainty is a guaranteed part of life, which isn’t as bad as it sounds, nor is it inherently bad. Uncertainty is the source of our motivation to plan, be resilient, and adapt to our constantly changing lives. In other words, uncertainty engenders personal growth.
Despite that positive influence, uncertainty can overwhelm us. Our plans and fortitude may not be sufficient to ward off the pains and pressures of uncertainty. In some cases, the uncertainty we experience may be so overpowering that we don’t even begin to plan. The coronavirus pandemic is the best example of both of these tendencies. It’s pushing peoples’ limits and, in many cases, overpowering them. All is not lost, however. Here’s how you can cope with uncertainty.
How Do We Work?
Uncertainty isn’t just an inconvenient part of our life: it plays an evolutionary role. The human nervous system is the product of multiple millennia of evolution. Over this time, human beings have developed a fight-or-flight (sometimes also freeze) response (i.e., stress response) that helps us manage threats and problems. We inherited this response from our ancestors, and it still serves us. However, our new adaptations to our environment have made some aspects of the system inefficient.
For example, cars and planes (and earlier sailing and equestrianism) are adapted to our need for traveling. Cars and planes are a case of us forcing our environment to adapt to our needs (we alter our environment to make traveling easier). These adaptations limit the need to evolve. This doesn’t mean that our fight-or-flight response isn’t useful; on the contrary, it’s critical for our survival, as our adaptations can be harmful. However, the response is not always useful.
We develop fears for many reasons, such as an abusive parent or traumatic experience. These fears persist even after the fear-inducing things are no longer present. The pandemic is just like one of these fear-inducing thing
s. While some stress in the face of uncertainty is good, it can quickly lead to overthinking. This leads us to form least-likely s
cenarios in our heads, which stress us out.
Responding to Our Internal Wiring
This brings us to the crux of the issue: how do I calm my fight-or-flight response? Arriving at this
question is the first step to improving. Our fight-or-flight response is instinctual, but isn’t mandatory. In other words, you don’t need to resign yourself to perpetual fight-or-flight stress.
Simply being aware of your response can help weaken its response. Over time, the response weakens as you recognize that it can’t control you.
Therapy can help expedite the process. If you’re looking for mental health counseling Winder, therapy, or evaluation in Winder, GA, contact us at Comprehensive Counseling Services LLC.
