Benefits Of Uncertainty, A Liberating Path

Sometimes we can feel deeply insecure. We have crises that lead us to recurring thoughts, emotions, and behaviors over and over again, and we see the future with so much bewilderment that we don’t know what to do. But why not see uncertainty as our best ally?

Today we will explore what it is all about and what its benefits may be. We will start by talking about acceptance. Then we will emphasize the following actions: connect, focus and restart. In addition, we will embrace the paradigm of improvisation as a vital response mode.

Uncertainty, what is it about?

According to the Royal Academy of the Spanish language, uncertainty is ‘the lack of certainty’ and this means ‘certainty or obligation to fulfill something’. In psychology, uncertainty is widely spoken of, however, it is usually associated with how it affects daily life and, even, it is emphasized that it is present in some mental disorders as a core element.

Magán-Uceda and his colleagues, for example, published a scientific publication in the  Revista Clínica y Salud,  in which they showed how living with uncertainty can be quite overwhelming. In addition, they emphasize that help through psychological treatment such as cognitive-behavioral can be favorable for its management.

Certainly, uncertainty can be unfavorable, but here we are not going to refer to the one that is present every day. That is, we will not analyze uncertainty as the protagonist of our lives, rather we will conceptualize it as one of our allied tools.

Benefits of uncertainty

The first thing to know about uncertainty is that we can see it from a kinder perspective. In this way, we can integrate it into our life without having to fight against it. Let’s see what benefits it can bring us.

To accept

It’s about understanding that we don’t have everything under control. Thus, it will be easier to digest that there are situations that we do not see coming and that, even if they are there, we can do nothing to stop them. For this, we need to see everything from another angle. In this way, we will allow ourselves to see the world through a light that does not necessarily have to be negative.

We can see uncertainty as a way of reminding ourselves that we are alive and that we have limits. Why fight them? It may not be an easy path for us, but we can build a more pleasant world step by step without torturing ourselves.

Connect

Uncertainty can be an ally when working on self-knowledge. We can embark on a path to a deep connection with ourselves. It is about being in tune with who we are.

It means connecting with the present moment. Living constantly thinking about the future will lead us to discomfort, especially when we do it constantly. Then, we can develop anxiety and frustration, especially at the idea of ​​not being in control.

Now, let us remember that the certainty of what will come is not possible. So why be bitter trying to search for infinite possibilities? It is true that in complex situations we tend to fear the future, but this does not mean that we have been certain about it at some point. We can see uncertainty as a wonderful opportunity to discover ourselves.

Focus

It is about directing our attention to what is beneficial to us and being in tune with the connection with our present. This will allow us to take advantage of the value of each moment and of what we have. To direct ourselves to the focus, we can carry out activities that make us feel better and encourage us to focus our attention. For each one a different activity will work, so here are some ideas:

• Physical exercise.
• Paint.
• Dance.
• To write.
• To meditate.

These activities promote our well-being as they help us release neurotransmitters that increase the sensation of pleasure. Wonderful, right? They do not all work the same for us, that is why it is important to tune in with our essence.

Restart

At times, we become so focused on the stressful and uncertain situation that we tune out. Why not let it flow? Doing so is really liberating; we can even develop new habits, explore ourselves and build new landscapes.

Uncertainty can be so beneficial that it allows us to adapt to new, previously unknown environments. That is, begin to perform different functions, accommodate ourselves to new circumstances, etc.

Now, the improvisational paradigm can be wonderful to take advantage of uncertainty. It’s about learning improvisation. For example, exploring the emotions, thoughts and behaviors that emerge and directing ourselves to manage them.

To achieve this we must listen to each other deeply, open our minds, not judge and collaborate with others. It is about facing what is coming without focusing on the past or the future. This will not make the uncertainty disappear, but it will give us more confidence to move forward without seeing life as a script.

In short, uncertainty can be our best ally or our worst enemy. If we take it in perspective, we can see how helpful it can be. It helps us connect, focus and restart. Therefore, it is constituted as a fabulous tool for adaptation that helps us to flow and have confidence through our exploration, accepting that it is not possible to have everything under control.