Uncertainties in life seem to be the in-thing these days, but it seems there’s nothing we can do about it. Uncertainty seems to have become the way of life for many of us as we move on from one situation to another. Nevertheless, we always contemplate that the next situation that comes in life will not be indeterminate like the last one.
Uncertainty can induce anxiety in our lives if not properly handled. Not all people are affected the same way by uncertainty. Some people may have a lower threshold than others, so they might tend to cope with uncertainty on a lesser scale than others. Uncertainty is certainly nagging and can conjure up feelings of nastiness or dread. Nevertheless, there are ways in which we can cope with uncertainty and live more productive lives:
- Tune out worrisome thoughts: According to the National Science Foundation, the average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. Out of which, 80% of thoughts are just negative and 95% are the same repetitive thoughts as the previous day. Unproductive worries can make us feel more anxious and uncertain, leading to a vicious cycle of thoughts. Think about the situation you are in. If there’s nothing you can do about it, then it isn’t your situation to worry over it.
- Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness is the active and intentional act of following your mind. It’s an intensive and powerful practice. For example, you can feel the breath you take, the inhalation and a bit of pause, and then the exhalation. Following your breath is indeed one of the most powerful mindfulness methods.
- Discover humour in your lives: Laugh it out whenever you are in an uncertain situation. Maybe, you could watch a funny TV show or exchange a few funny tweets over social media. Perhaps you could chat with a group of friends on your favourite chat app. Let’s stop journeying into the future and worrying about all the uncertainties that exist there.
- Develop a sense of control through habits and routines: As COVID-19 continues to create unpleasant and uncertain situations across the world, everybody’s lives have been hit by uncertainty in one way or the other. While there’s very little one can do about the absence of an end to all the health threats and social distancing norms, one can develop a bunch of routines such as regular exercise that will help us face the situation with a better sense of control.
- Learn to accept what is not within your control: Learning to accept what you cannot control will gradually lead you to peace of mind. Acknowledge this fact to understand how important letting go is, since wanting to control and know everything brings a lot of uncertainty to our lives. Constantly feeding yourself with news and feeds on social media feeds on your anxiety and brings uncertainty to your lives. Learn to refresh yourself by keeping up with news and information, but avoid overdoing it.
In this manner, you can cope with anxiety and uncertainty in your lives. Learning to live by these tips will help you regulate your lives for the better and you will feel in control of yourselves again.
