Play videoMay 1, 2025
How to Become More TOLERANT of UNCERTAINTY & Why It Matters: Worry Management 9
Worry is often driven by our discomfort with uncertainty. When we’re anxious, we tend to treat our fears as facts, like we already know something bad is going to happen. But what if we treated those worries as guesses instead? That shift in perspective is the first step toward building tolerance for uncertainty. One useful strategy is to run “tolerating uncertainty experiments.” These involve identifying a situation that feels uncertain, figuring out what exactly you’re afraid will happen, and then doing the thing anyway. For example, if you’re avoiding a phone call because you think someone might be angry, the experiment would be to make the call and see what actually happens. These aren’t just exercises in bravery, they’re ways of gathering evidence. Over time, you learn that your worst-case predictions don’t usually come true. And when they do, they’re often more manageable than you imagined. These repeated experiences chip away at the belief that uncertainty equals danger. The goal isn’t to feel comfortable all the time. It’s to learn that you can tolerate not knowing.…
