Anxiety & uncertainty: The Perfect Storm
By: Marissa Pollet
Anxiety and uncertainty often work together in a cycle that can feel impossible to escape. Anxiety craves certainty, predictability, and answers. Uncertainty offers none of those things. When the two collide, the mind often fills in the blanks and unfortunately, it tends to fill them with worst-case scenarios and cycle of never ending “What-ifs”.
When we don’t know what will happen, anxiety steps in and tries to “protect” us by overthinking, analyzing, preparing, and predicting outcomes. The problem is that anxiety rarely settles with one answer. Instead, it creates more questions, more scenarios, which ultimately leads to more uncertainty and the cycle never ends.
How Anxiety Feeds Off Uncertainty
• Catastrophic thinking: Assuming the worst outcome is the most likely outcome and it’s absolutely going to end badly.
• Seeking reassurance: Constantly asking others for certainty that usually doesn’t last, and the need for constant reassurance increases.
• Overanalyzing: Replaying conversations, decisions, or future possibilities repeatedly on a mental loop.
• Avoidance: Delaying decisions or situations because uncertainty feels uncomfortable.
• Need for control: Trying to eliminate all unknowns before moving forward.
What Can Help?
You may not be able to remove uncertainty, but you can change how you respond to it.
• Name what is fact vs. fear. Ask yourself: What do I actually know right now? “Do I have facts to back up these thoughts?”
• Limit future forecasting. Focus on the next step rather than the entire outcome.
• Practice tolerating uncertainty in small ways. Leave a text unanswered for a bit, try something without over-planning, or allow imperfect decisions. Encourage yourself to sit with moments of discomfort.
• Anchor yourself in the present. Use grounding techniques, movement, deep breathing, or sensory awareness. Focus on the here and now to bring your mind back to the present.
• Challenge the urge for certainty. Remind yourself: Not knowing is uncomfortable—not dangerous.
Learning to Handle Uncertainty
The goal isn’t to become someone who never feels anxious or uncertain. The goal is to build confidence that you can handle uncertainty without letting anxiety take over. Often, peace doesn’t come from getting all the answers; it comes from trusting yourself to navigate whatever answereventually arrives. Life will never be a situation where uncertainty does not exist. It’s when we take back mental control to not let it create an unhealthy pattern; the change begins to blossom, and our minds are more at peace.
Our team of caring professionals at Inspired Wellness are here to provide support and guidance towards your path of mental wellness. We believe that every individual has the ability to be the best version of themselves and our goal is to set you up with the tools to maintain a well-balanced life that will place you on the path towards lifelong change. We strive to create a non-judgmental environment coupled with therapeutic practices that are tailored towards each individual. At Inspired Wellness our team aims to do exactly as our name says, inspire you towards a beautiful life of strength and wellness!