When we’re waiting for outcomes we can’t control (job decisions, funding applications, patient complaints), our brain goes into overdrive. Our shoulders tense, our stomach knots, and we can’t think clearly as we mentally rehearse worst-case scenarios that haven’t even happened yet.
Eliminating uncertainty is impossible, especially in today’s climate, but we can develop the ability to stay calm within it. As healthcare professionals, we’re already experts at managing uncertainty for patients. We need to apply those same skills to ourselves.
We’re used to seeing the worst things play out, so our tendency to catastrophise can amplify our suffering when dealing with uncertainty in our own lives. We end up pre-living disasters that never materialise, making the stress much worse than the situation itself. We waste precious energy worrying about outcomes that often turn out better than we feared, while missing opportunities to take constructive action in the present.
But this quick dip offers a simple ritual for whenever uncertainty makes you anxious. Remember that uncertainty isn’t the enemy; it’s simply part of life. You’ve survived every uncertain situation you’ve faced so far, and you’ll navigate this one too.
