We all go through moments in life where we face uncertainty. This feeling that we don’t know what’s yet to come leaves us with bone chilling anxiety. In our head the tape recorder of ‘what is going to happen’ goes on in a continuous loop. Until we get tired of it and decide it’s better to sleep and shut this tape.
In such moments we turn towards distractions. Some healthy, some unhealthy. We turn towards toxic people for validation because let’s face it, they give it to us. Let’s also face the fact of the guilt that comes with it after the high of that validation fades. Uncertainty leaves us hollow. Therefore don’t blame yourself if you turn towards the unhealthiest ways to deal with it.
As we read time and again, every situation has two perceptions. But the over thinker that I am, my mind always turns towards ‘how worse can it get’ where it actually should be ‘what if beyond my mental insecurities lies my intended path?’ The only way through is to be patient and let things unfold in its own time and pace.
Easier said than done. But that is the fact. So how do we be patient with ourselves and wait it out?
Firstly, breathe. Breathe in and breathe out. Take five deep breaths and get your mind to the present. This very moment is what holds true. What’s yet to come hasn’t even happened yet. The more we set out to prepare for it, the more we realise how pointless it is. Because how can we prepare for something that we don’t even know yet?
That’s when distractors come in. But we must be careful. We need to choose those distractors that may not feel good in the short term but will provide us with long term benefits if we stick with it.
Reading — dive into a story and escape into another world. Rather than waiting for your story to unfold, read about someone else’s and who knows, you will be able to find ways to deal with your uncertainty.
Set a routine — The most beneficial way to break the constant worry of uncertainty is to have a routine with set activities in place. The idea is to stop wasting time waiting for solutions to appear. Rather get busy and you will find your solutions along the way.
Talk about it — A good venting session with my closest friends has never failed me. Sometimes our uncertainties depend on final outcomes of the situations we are in. Talking to someone who gets you will give you an unbiased perspective of the situation you’re in and help you ease the anxiety you’re grappling with.
Complete mundane tasks — Complete household chores or start cleaning your closet. Do the tasks that you have forever been putting off. If nothing, it will give you a feeling of accomplishment which is a huge and healthy distractor from thinking unknown outcomes.
If you notice, all these activities pull you back to the present. Choose a task that does precisely that no matter how hard it may be to focus. Get into it and trust me you will get that much needed time out.
We make the worst decisions when we are in panic mode. When we panic we lose patience. But look back to a time when you realised that if only you were patient enough, you could have made better choices. You could have saved yourself from a world of pain if you just waited long enough. Look back not to regret on your past decisions, but gain insights from them and just wait.
The formula is to find a healthy distraction, take your time out and then eventually wait for things to reveal themselves rather than you rushing for things to unfold. That feeling of not knowing is not a signal to act but it’s a signal to wait. And those who wait are always rewarded either with the truth or answers to questions that they thought they would never receive in this lifetime.
Thanks so much for your time!
