There is Only One Thing of Which You Can Be Certain… Uncertainty
With the constant threat being experienced all around the world at this moment in time, the fear of the unknown that many of us are living with can be stressful and demotivating.
Even if you are not consciously experiencing it, this worry may be playing out in the back of your mind and expressing itself as:
Depression and anxiety, with troubled sleep or negative thoughts or minor panics.
Clumsiness, a lack of concentration, a fogginess or vagueness.
Emotional outbursts and a lack of patience with others.
An impact on our wellbeing, affecting us mentally and physically.
Here are some of the methods that I find work when worried about uncertainty of the unknown.
Firstly, we need to be aware of what we are feeling in the moment, so that we can address the problem. There are a few ways to do this:
List your triggers for feelings of anxiety or any negative feelings you experience. Your triggers might be certain situations at work or outside of work with certain people or certain tasks, e.g., you might be triggered by the presence of your boss as you assume they are monitoring your efforts or criticising you as you come to grips with a new project.
When we have trouble concentrating, take a few deep breaths in and out and then ask, “What is on my mind at the moment?”
Take a quiet moment daily and allow your past and future thoughts to drift by without criticism or judgement.
You see, fear is driven by our thoughts, and our thoughts are typically of the past or future and rarely the present. By bringing our thoughts to the present moment, we have choice about the actions we can take, and we can choose to take positive actions to improve our situation.
As the past is no longer, and the future is just a guess at best there is little we can do but let go of these thoughts and not let them spiral around in our minds.
Fear has often been described as “Future Events that Appear Real.” This means we fortune-tell what misfortune might happen, and in most situations, we are wrong. Our worst thoughts rarely come about.
When negative thinking or feelings begin to overwhelm you, the best remedy is to bring yourself into the present moment. Do something practical and focus on the task at hand. You can also take the proactive opportunity to practice mindfulness to centre your thoughts in the now and let go of thoughts from the past or thoughts of the future.
One of the best ways to do this is to simply find a quiet space for a few moments, sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes and start to be aware of your thoughts. As they begin to materialise in your mind, label your thoughts and let them pass by:
“I see you as a thought from the past that is no longer” or “I see you as a thought from the future that is unlikely to happen unless I want it to.”
If that is too much to manage, simply label your thoughts as “Past” or “Present” and allow them to roll on by.
Uncertainty and fear of the unknown may cause you stress, fear, overwhelm or anxiety as it does for many of us, but you have the choice to accept these feelings or not. We are in the very lucky position to be able to reflect on our thinking and look for the silver linings in the dark clouds of life events. Despite even the worst of tragedies, there is something positive that we can take and help ourselves and others with if we just apply ourselves. Every ordeal has an end, and it is from this point we can take personal action or let things come to pass.
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