4 Ways You Can Deal With Uncertainty

Arrows pointing in different directions.
When faced with unexpected situations, the pressure to make the right choice can be so overwhelming that you might not be able to do anything. (Image: via pixabay / CC0 1.0)

Not everything in your life goes as planned. Many times, you will be faced with unexpected situations and uncertainty that you haven’t planned for. A decision made in such circumstances can have a huge impact on your life. The pressure to make the right choice can be so overwhelming that you might not be able to do anything properly.

4 ways you can deal with any uncertainty in your life

1. Accept the uncertainty

Many people try to resist change and in the process keep extending the discomfort they feel. You need to toughen your mindset and learn to accept things as they are, even the fact that the future you are facing is uncertain. A research study has shown that acceptance tends to lead to peace of mind.

“Acceptance is about meeting life where it is and moving forward from there. Because acceptance allows us to see the reality of the situation in the present moment, it frees us up to move forward, rather than remaining paralyzed (or made ineffective) by uncertainty, fear, or argument. To practice acceptance, we surrender our resistance to a problematic situation, and also to our emotions about the situation,” according to Greater Good.

Accepting uncertainty tends to lead to peace of mind.
Accepting uncertainty tends to lead to peace of mind. (Image: via Pixabay)

2. Avoid obsession with perfection

Sometimes, the uncertainty you feel might be the result of your being unable to be perfect at a task. For instance, you may be a marketing manager of a specific region and might come up with an excellent campaign to boost sales in the area. However, you may constantly be obsessed with whether every little element in the campaign is “perfect.” This can include everything from the message in the campaign to the color of the characters and the fonts used in the marketing materials. This is basically a fruitless endeavor since the idea of what is “perfect” will differ from person to person. Stressing yourself out because you are not sure whether you achieved perfection is a wasteful activity. Just take an opinion survey of your teammates to see how they react to the marketing campaign and finalize it if the response is positive.

3. Practice kindness

When you are worried about uncertainty, your mind can get unsettled and confused. This will impede your ability to make rational decisions since this requires a calm mind. The best way to resolve the issue is to practice kindness. Visit the nearest volunteer center and spend a few hours feeding the poor or taking care of abandoned pets. This will put you in a good frame of mind. And with a calm mind, you will be able to see the root causes of uncertainty and determine how to deal with it.

A dog behind a fence.
Spending some time volunteering to take care of abandoned pets can help settle your mind so you can deal with uncertainty. (Image: via Pixabay)

4. Avoid dependence

Sometimes, the uncertainty you feel might be due to being reliant on some person doing something. However, if you can do that task, why not handle it yourself? For instance, you may have asked your nephew to pick up your boss from the airport. If your nephew is someone who is clumsy and who does not do his tasks properly, you shouldn’t have assigned him to pick up your boss.

To give such a responsibility to your nephew and then spend time wondering whether your nephew will pick up the boss on time, whether there will be delays, whether he will say something inappropriate, is completely ridiculous. If you are not feeling too confident about your nephew, go get your boss yourself. In short, never depend on someone so much that you end up stressing yourself over their choices. Be the master of your own decisions and much of the uncertainty will cease to exist.

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