Life is full of surprises.
Sometimes beautiful ones show up unannounced, like a chance run-in with a childhood friend or an unexpected promotion.
Other times, surprises show up to alter your life negatively like job layoffs, return-to-office mandates, and illnesses.
The news cycles are full of updates on the current economic climate, political instability, global tensions, and the rapid pace of technological changes. Coupled with other daily stressors, there’s a palpable air of “So, what’s next?” That uncertainty can be unsettling, all-consuming, and a breeding ground for stress and anxiety.
As a highly successful person, you’re adept at navigating change in your workplace, but you’re likely not immune to the stressors of uncertainty right now. In fact, part of what makes you effective is your ability to create systems that give you some degree of control. And when control is threatened, stress follows. Uncertainty is the natural order of life. But for people who are used to calling the shots, it can be especially triggering.
The truth is (unfortunately), you can’t prevent uncertainty. But you can build the resilience to move through it with more ease. That starts with adopting habits that anchor you. So even when everything around you feels up in the air, you’ll remain grounded.
Why Uncertainty Feels So Uncomfortable
Why does uncertainty give us so much stress? As humans, having an idea of what will happen next gives us time and space to prepare. If there is an unknown, we try to make it known. When we can’t, that gap in knowledge is interpreted as a potential threat. In the past, not knowing what rustled in the bushes could mean the difference between survival and danger. Though our daily threats have changed, our mental wirings have not.
On the flip side, when we’re able to reasonably predict what will happen (particularly if it’s favorable), we tend to feel safer. So the brain makes a certain distinction. Uncertainty = unsafety.
Common Emotional and Behavioral Responses
Left unchecked, an intolerance to anxiety will show up in your habits, moods, and even decision-making. Here are a few ways it tends to manifest.
You’re Prone to Overworking
When the path ahead feels uncertain, it’s common to try to compensate with more effort. You think “If I just stay one step ahead, nothing will catch me off guard.” But overworking only fuels burnout. Yes, being proactive is important. But there’s a difference between being prepared and trying to force a sense of control. Life will still throw curveballs. The power is in how you choose to respond.
You Have a Hard Time Delegating
When you do the task yourself, you know how it’ll turn out. You’ve done it a dozen times, you have a system, and the end result is – most importantly – certain. But when the future already feels unpredictable, letting go of even small things becomes harder. There’s no guarantee that if you delegate a task, it’ll be done to your standard. Even seasoned leaders can find themselves holding onto work they’d usually pass off, not because their team lacks skill, but because delegating means giving up control.
You Overthink
Your brain is always trying to make sense of your surroundings. So even when things seem fine on the surface, the mental chatter doesn’t stop. Worry becomes a background process, cycling through scenarios and contingencies. When a headline hits, you wonder “Is my livelihood secure?” It’s easy to jump to the worst-case scenario, because for most people, uncertainty is synonymous with a bad outcome.
Worrying becomes a way of trying to predict life so there are no surprises. And because it temporarily soothes that sense of unpredictability, your brain learns to keep doing it. But the irony here is that rather than creating control, it just drains your energy and makes it harder to be present.
Ruminating may allow you to think you have control for a moment, but the prolonged fear and stress take a toll. It can:
- Increase anxiety and disrupt sleep
- Lead to poor decisions made from panic or overwhelm
- Cause strain in personal and professional relationships
- Take a toll on your physical and mental health
- Steal joy from otherwise good moments
You Procrastinate on Decisions, Big or Small
When there’s no clear “right” move, making what seem to be life-altering decisions feels heavy. Even small decisions feel larger than life sometimes, so rather than choose, you hesitate.
Inaction feels safer than risking regret. And as a result, things get delayed out of fear of making the wrong move.
The trend with all these responses to uncertainty is that they give the illusion of control. However, in practice, these habits often only heighten anxiety and fear.
Your best bet is to build a healthier relationship with uncertainty by increasing your tolerance for it.
In the grand scheme of things, uncertainty is a neutral element. It simply is a natural part of life. We can evaluate probabilities and prepare for possibilities, but for many things, the actual outcome is largely out of our hands.
6 Tips To Help You Manage Uncertainty
Accepting uncertainty as being an inevitable part of life can be easier said than done. However, there are a few habits you can use to build your emotional and mental resilience to help you better maneuver uncertainty and change.
1. Make a List of What You Can Control and What You Can’t
As simple as they are, the cliches are true: Accept what you can and release the rest. In all our orbits, there are some things we can control and others that are out of our hands. While that may feel disorienting, lean into the opposite of the spectrum which is the empowerment that comes from the fact that there are some things you can influence. Like maintaining a routine, cultivating a positive mindset, and learning from your experiences. Relish in the fact that you aren’t completely powerless and a passive passenger in your life. You have choices and autonomy. Maintaining that stance will help you to go from being stuck in worrying loops to active problem-solving. You may even find that you learn something new about yourself that fuels your growth.
2. Name a Person or Cause You’ll Show Up for Next Month
In moments of uncertainty, it’s easy to become consumed by your own mental loops. One way to loosen their grip is to redirect your energy toward something bigger than yourself. Choose a cause that resonates strongly with your values. Maybe it’s mentoring young professionals, contributing to a local food drive, or offering a few hours of free support to a nonprofit. You don’t have to worry about saving the world right now. Just showing up for someone other than yourself can show you the value you add, even when your own path is uncertain.
3. Identify One Thing You Look Forward to Daily
Having something to look forward to everyday can be a game changer. If you don’t know where to start, try auditing one part of your week that always feels messy and build a repeatable routine around it. Even something as simple as blocking off 30 minutes when you end the work day to do nothing can restore a sense of order.
4. Move Your Body Once a Day
You don’t need a full workout plan or a personal trainer. You just need to move consistently and with intention. Choose something you’ll actually do like a quick 15-minute walk during lunch or stretches between tasks. When the pressure builds, motion is often the fastest way to clear any mental fog.
5. Try the Calm App
Finding quiet on demand becomes a skill worth developing. The Calm app makes it easy to start. Start with their 10-minute “Daily Calm” session. Do it at the same time each day, ideally before your calendar takes over. On top of helping you feel grounded, you’ll experience better sleep, lower stress, and less anxiety. You’ll also likely find that over time, that small pause helps you to respond from a place of clarity rather than reactivity.
6. Identify One Area in Your Life Where You Need Help
The benefits of having a community to rely on cannot be understated, especially as you try to navigate uncertainty or change. The range of support includes being a source of emotional stability, providing practical assistance, or even just offering a different perspective. Whatever the capacity, let someone help lighten the load. It could mean looping in your colleague earlier on a project, or offloading errands to a trusted assistant.
Who’s in Your Corner?
Having reliable help provides structure and security to better help you manage security. And there’s no greater support than a personal assistant who is proactive, professional, and attuned to your needs.
At Pepper’s Personal Assistants we pride ourselves in providing quality, professional help that goes beyond mere task handling. We’re strategic partners, with relevant expertise in helping you manage all the curveballs that life throws at you whether that’s impromptu travel plans, unforeseen family emergencies, or even last minute event coordination.
We understand that high achievers tend to wait until burnout to ask for help but it doesn’t have to get that far. In a world that’s ever-changing, uncertainty is inevitable. But with a trusted personal assistant by your side, you don’t have to face it alone. You can tackle whatever comes next with confidence and clarity, knowing you have a trusted partner managing the details.
