Dealing with Uncertainty

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Daniel Van der Pluym, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

Dealing with uncertainty – During this year, the world has been thrown into a sense of chaos. Our limited control over many of our circumstances, seems more apparent than ever. Many of us have had to push on, in hope that circumstances will become more certain. However there remains a lingering uncertainty about what the future holds. Some who have for the most part, felt in control of their lives up until this year, have been thrown into circumstances of less choice and control.

While we do not get much choice about some of these circumstances, hopefully through strategies, routines and practices we can cultivate qualities and attitudes that help us meet uncertainty with a little more acceptance, clarity and optimism.

So what can we do to help with uncertainty?

Some of the strategies that have helped me include

One step at a time – Live life in the moment, focusing on today and what we need to achieve. This can be done through breaking bigger goals into smaller tasks and applying ourselves by focusing on the small steps, day-by-day. Often we set long-term goals for the future and while it’s important to have those goals in mind when applying ourselves daily, we also really have no idea about what the longer term future holds. So perhaps it is more important to focus on the here and now, the small things that we are able to have more influence over today.
Run your own race – Rather than focusing too much on what everyone else is doing and all of the outside “noise”, it may be helpful to turn our attention towards our own personal goals and focusing on life areas that are personally meaningful to us. Through this, we gain the opportunity to create greater personal fulfilment and clearer purpose in how we live.
Create routine – Routine gives us a sense of certainty about how we approach our lives and allows us to be proactive in meeting the demands of the day ahead.
Be clear about differentiating between what you can control and things outside of our control and choose to focus and direct our attention towards things we can control.

Cultivating qualities of acceptance and surrender to the direction that life is pointing us towards allows us to welcome each circumstance as an opportunity to create something new in each moment.

Choose to be clear about how you wish to respond to setbacks – to be reactive, or responsive? By checking in with our emotional reactions to setbacks we can make proactive choices about how we respond, allowing us to operate from a place of greater agency in making the most of challenging circumstances.

Most importantly, make time to prioritise self-care and enjoyment of simple things. Tune into the simplicity of life and take time to stop and “smell the roses”. Allow yourself time to explore, fully absorb and take in the pleasure of simple things in your surroundings!

For further support, resources and strategies to help you deal with uncertainty, find out more by contacting dan@deeperpotential.com.au