How to Find Peace During Times of Uncertainty
Question what you believe is certain in your life now., Know that one thing is certain in life: change., Let go of the fear.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Question what you believe is certain in your life now.
If you take a good, hard look at your life, you will likely find that what you thought was certain, probably isn’t.
Additionally, if you examine your life prior to the uncertainty you recently experienced, you may also find that it wasn’t as stable as you thought it was.
Situations in life are often temporary, and in realizing this, you may give yourself perspective, knowing that life is never certain, and what you are feeling now will likely pass, as well.
Examples of what you may think is certain but actually isn’t is getting home from work every day without getting into an accident, the health of you and your family, your job security, and your relationship status.
When you look at life this way, you realize that not many things are certain. -
Step 2: Know that one thing is certain in life: change.
One thing you can know for certain is that change is unavoidable — the people, animals, nature, the planet, even the universe — are changing all the time.
Learning to accept that change is inevitable and part of life may help you stay calm when uncertainty strikes.
Getting comfortable with change may seem like an impossible challenge, especially if you are very afraid of it, but it can be done.
When you implement a few exercises in your life, you will likely find that you become better able to face uncertainty.
Consider why change is frightening.
Do you feel out of control when thing are uncertain? Is an unexpected change causing you to reconsider your identity or how you define yourself (for example, from the role of a student to a workforce employee)? For example, trying something new on a daily basis can help you become accustom to change.
For instance, moving a piece of furniture, trying a new shampoo or toothpaste, or taking a different route to work may help you feel better about change.
Don’t go overboard with these new changes; start out small and then gradually work your way up to something more drastic., Preparing for the worst might seem like a good way to live, but you can’t stop every bad thing from happening.
Realizing that you need to live in the moment, and not turning to your bad experiences of the past, can help you embrace uncertainty and ultimately find peace.
Ask yourself, “What’s the worst that can happen?” when facing uncertainty.
When you take a calm and rational look at the worst-case scenario, you’ll likely find that what you are afraid of isn’t really that bad.A therapist can also help you let go of fear by identifying and changing unrealistic thought patterns that hold you back from living your best life.
In therapy, you can also do exposure exercises that require you to face your fears so that they lose their power over you.Use things that happened in your past to inform your choices, but don't let them rule you.
For instance, if you were in a bad relationship in the past, don't give up on dating altogether.
Instead, use what you learned from that relationship to spot red flags and avoid toxic relationships in the future. -
Step 3: Let go of the fear.
Detailed Guide
If you take a good, hard look at your life, you will likely find that what you thought was certain, probably isn’t.
Additionally, if you examine your life prior to the uncertainty you recently experienced, you may also find that it wasn’t as stable as you thought it was.
Situations in life are often temporary, and in realizing this, you may give yourself perspective, knowing that life is never certain, and what you are feeling now will likely pass, as well.
Examples of what you may think is certain but actually isn’t is getting home from work every day without getting into an accident, the health of you and your family, your job security, and your relationship status.
When you look at life this way, you realize that not many things are certain.
One thing you can know for certain is that change is unavoidable — the people, animals, nature, the planet, even the universe — are changing all the time.
Learning to accept that change is inevitable and part of life may help you stay calm when uncertainty strikes.
Getting comfortable with change may seem like an impossible challenge, especially if you are very afraid of it, but it can be done.
When you implement a few exercises in your life, you will likely find that you become better able to face uncertainty.
Consider why change is frightening.
Do you feel out of control when thing are uncertain? Is an unexpected change causing you to reconsider your identity or how you define yourself (for example, from the role of a student to a workforce employee)? For example, trying something new on a daily basis can help you become accustom to change.
For instance, moving a piece of furniture, trying a new shampoo or toothpaste, or taking a different route to work may help you feel better about change.
Don’t go overboard with these new changes; start out small and then gradually work your way up to something more drastic., Preparing for the worst might seem like a good way to live, but you can’t stop every bad thing from happening.
Realizing that you need to live in the moment, and not turning to your bad experiences of the past, can help you embrace uncertainty and ultimately find peace.
Ask yourself, “What’s the worst that can happen?” when facing uncertainty.
When you take a calm and rational look at the worst-case scenario, you’ll likely find that what you are afraid of isn’t really that bad.A therapist can also help you let go of fear by identifying and changing unrealistic thought patterns that hold you back from living your best life.
In therapy, you can also do exposure exercises that require you to face your fears so that they lose their power over you.Use things that happened in your past to inform your choices, but don't let them rule you.
For instance, if you were in a bad relationship in the past, don't give up on dating altogether.
Instead, use what you learned from that relationship to spot red flags and avoid toxic relationships in the future.
About the Author
Diane Reyes
Enthusiastic about teaching organization techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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