How not to go crazy when everything in life is uncertain

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Seven strategies will help you find a foothold and restore peace of mind in times of trouble.

1. Try to accept the situation as it is

Paradoxically, resistance won't make you feel better. On the contrary, it will only prolong the pain and intensify the difficult emotions that you are experiencing. Instead, strive for acceptance. Psychological research has shown that the secret to happiness lies precisely in acceptance, and especially in self-acceptance and compassion for yourself.

Accepting the situation means recognizing life at the point in which it is now, and moving on, taking into account the prevailing circumstances. This gives strength to emerge from the paralysis caused by uncertainty. To accept something, you need to stop resisting the problems and feelings they cause.

For example, you have a tense family relationship now. Instead of criticizing or blaming your partner, that is, resorting to resistance tactics, try to accept the fact that this is how it is at the moment. This does not mean that it will always be this way or that you fold your arms. You only acknowledge the present as it is. Then you can look for solutions to the problem, but acceptance is the first step.

2. Take care of yourself

By neglecting our body and mind, we are destroying the essential tools needed for a peaceful and happy life. We need strong relationships with others, sleep and rest, and also activities just for pleasure - without this, it will not be possible to feel good and succeed.

And taking care of yourself doesn't mean being selfish. Selfishness presupposes behavior, the motive of which is exclusively self-interest, as well as an absolute disregard for other people's interests. Being so self-centered is toxic, but taking care of yourself is different. This is the understanding that the body needs rest and help, and that it is natural to ask for them.

3. Choose healthy ways to please yourself

The uncertainty about what will happen next leads to stress. And to drown it out, we want to please ourselves: drink another glass of wine, eat another piece of cake, add another nice little thing to the basket, watch another movie. All of these methods work like "first aid", but in the long run they can hurt us.

Instead of looking for solace on social media, fast food, alcohol or excessive spending, please yourself with something healthy. Go for a walk, call a friend, think about what you are grateful for in life, take a nap after all. Make a list of such beneficial joys and refer to it when you are in trouble.

4. Don't believe all your thoughts

It is useful to think about the options for the development of events. This way, solutions can be found early and new problems can be prevented. But when we give in too much to thinking about the worst possible consequences, the brain begins to perceive them as fait accompli and react accordingly. We grieve for what we have not yet lost, and fear for what may never happen at all.

So try not to believe negative thoughts. Think of good scenarios, look for positives in the difficulties you are experiencing. This will help to combat the tendency to exaggerate risks.

5. Pay more attention to the present

The opposite of uncertainty is not necessarily certainty about the future. Rather, it is being in the present moment. Instead of imagining what will happen next, listen to your condition right now.

For example, each time you wash your hands, ask yourself, "How do I feel?" Notice which emotions are emerging and which part of the body they are "in." Don't criticize yourself for your feelings and experiences, but approach the process with curiosity and compassion.

We can control our attention even when everything else in life is out of control. We can turn off notifications about news and new posts on social networks so as not to fuel the alarm. We can reduce the amount of sad thinking by focusing on the present.

6. Don't think of yourself as a victim

Believing in our powerlessness, we get stuck in negative thoughts and stop trying to change something. We begin to wait for someone to save us. Perhaps our loved ones are even ready to do this, but such help can be more harm than good. Because by allowing ourselves to be saved, we are essentially giving up responsibility for our lives. And we only see ourselves as a victim even more, and not as a person who is able to cope with our problems, albeit with outside support.

So to deal with uncertainty, stop complaining. Stop dwelling on the problem and focus on the result you want to achieve. Think about how to benefit from what happened, what to learn. Taking responsibility will make you feel stronger.

7. Find ways to help others

We become happier when we stop thinking only about ourselves and help others. When we know that our efforts make sense and benefit someone.

Think about what you are ready to do for others, where and what your skills, talents and interests might be useful, what is important to you and how you can have a hand in it.

When everything around you becomes uncertain and frightening, the understanding that you are not living in vain restores the ground under your feet.