We can define uncertainty as being unable to predict or understand one’s current situation and how it will unfold, and being unable to see one’s expectations and future clearly.
In fact, there are many ‘uncertain’ situations in all our lives. For example, uncertainties in the flow of life – whether a student will graduate, whether they will find a job after graduating, whether their job will continue, whether they will marry, whether they will have children – can make a person’s future look foggy, because it is human nature to want a clear answer about matters that concern us. However, we cannot always find the answers we are looking for straight away; remaining without an answer can make us feel lost in uncertainty.
Uncertainty also often brings fear and anxiety with it. As a result, when evaluating what lies ahead, a person may focus excessively on negative feelings and thoughts and experience intense anxiety. This is because when our brain perceives uncertainty as a threat, it causes negative states such as panic, unease, stress and sleeplessness, making it harder to tolerate.
Does a person’s reaction to uncertainty vary with personality or environmental factors?
People’s reactions to uncertainty can vary according to temperament and environmental conditions. Some people can easily manage uncertainty when they encounter it; curiosity may even make them more productive. In general, people with well-developed psychological resilience are less affected by uncertainty and can overcome their problems more easily.
For some people, however, uncertainty is perceived as a ‘threat’ and greatly intensifies their anxiety. They then become unable to solve their problems. These people have often been found to be more security-seeking, to have a strong desire for control, not to trust others easily and to have perfectionist personalities. In particular, they want every moment of their lives to be flawless and wish for the future to be the same. If even the slightest doubt arises, they feel intense anxiety.
(Kulaksızoğlu, 1998) According to research, there is no difference between women and men in their reactions to uncertainty; however, it has been observed that individuals raised with an overprotective parenting style have higher levels of intolerance of uncertainty than others.
How do people with intolerance of uncertainty think and behave towards their surroundings and events?
These people worry excessively about certain things even when the likelihood of them happening is very low. They also look for a solution to every problem they might face, and they seek perfect solutions to issues that challenge them. To achieve this, they always want to hear the views of other people; they make lists of possible solutions and check again and again to be sure. Even when this process exhausts them, they do not accept help from others, because they do not easily trust anyone. Because facing uncertainty is so draining for them, they prefer to avoid every new situation. All of this lowers their quality of life and harms their physical and mental health.
How can we cope with intolerance arising from uncertainty?
You can certainly develop and strengthen your ability to tolerate uncertainty, but this takes effort and time. In this process it is important not to give up and to keep going steadily, just as when building a muscle.
To cope, it is first of all important to feel safe. Staying in touch with people who can support you in this process – people with whom you feel understood, safe and loved – will make things easier.
You can focus on your thoughts. Observe that thoughts come and go, just like the weather. You can review your perceptions and interpretations of uncertainty, and become aware of which of your thoughts and behaviours are healthy and functional and which are unhealthy and dysfunctional. In this way you can also see that you are more than just your thoughts.
It is also necessary to know and accept that uncertainty is a part of human life. In this process, focusing on the situations and information within our own control will help bring your anxiety down to a manageable level.
You also need to accept the feelings you experience in uncertain situations, such as intense anxiety. Otherwise, resisting your emotions makes the pain and difficulty you experience persist. That is why it is important to accept the emotions that hurt you rather than resist them.
In this process, taking care of yourself – being able to rest when you feel tired and making time for fun purely for enjoyment – is also among the most basic needs. Remember, taking care of yourself is not selfishness.
If none of this works despite your efforts, or you feel you cannot manage it, do not hesitate to seek professional support.
This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for diagnosis or treatment. In an emergency, call 112.