Why We Fear Uncertainty
And how we can learn to better embrace ambiguity.
At its essence, the fear of uncertainty is feeling uncomfortable with the unknown. And yet, anyone with any life experience knows that uncertainty is part of the package. There’s a greek proverb that suggests “there’s nothing more permanent than what’s temporary,” and despite my best efforts, that notion has proven itself to be true in my life, time and time again.
So why are so many of us equipped with a fear of the unknown, when so much of our lives are built upon that which we cannot predict or control?
It may be because intolerance of uncertainty is a facet of anxiety, particularly present with those of us who tend to worry a lot. We avoid doing things because we are unsure of a positive outcome. We ruminate and over-focus on researching information to tip the scales and feel as though we’re in control of what we’re uncertain of. We seek comfort in knowledge and often begin to sweat when we can’t predict the outcome of a situation. It’s not even the result that stresses us out, it’s that we’re not sure what the result is.
