Living with Uncertainty
Many find our constantly changing environment difficult to tolerate. Intolerance of uncertainty refers to an individual’s pattern of negative emotions, thinking, and behaviors when faced with uncertainty. For example, this may include day-to-day things such as worrying if the bus will be on time, or awaiting the outcome of an interview, or whether you get a promotion at work. It’s not surprising that those of us who are less comfortable with uncertainty would have a difficult time today with the magnitude of uncertainty we are experiencing. But it is also an opportunity to re-invent our lives.
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How Well Do You Adjust to Uncertainty?
Intolerance of uncertainty is defined as an individual’s incapacity to endure adverse responses triggered by the perceived absence of salient, essential, or sufficient information. Given that life is full of uncertainties, it is not surprising that people intolerant of uncertainty find life challenging, especially during these turbulent times. Buhr and Dugas (2002) suggested that there are four characteristics of intolerance of uncertainty.
Inability to act
Increased stress
An expectation that future events will be harmful and should be avoided
Being uncertain of the future is unjust
Take a few moments to reflect on the following statements to determine if you might be having trouble adjusting to uncertainty. As you reflect on the following statements, consider one of these three responses:
Yep, that’s me!
Maybe, that’s a little like me.
No, that’s not me.
Rate Yourself
I feel the knowledge about the pandemic and related issues is either limited, conflicting, changing, or confusing.
Uncertainty in my life often triggers negative or unwanted feelings.
It feels that my life is a puzzle, missing one or two pieces to see the whole picture.
I often feel that making decisions - both small and large - is difficult.
I sometimes feel like I am “standing on eggshells” and have a difficult time relaxing.
There is no right or wrong answer or expected optimum response to these statements. They are here for you to reflect on how you are coping with uncertainty in the environment.
We Can Learn to Adapt
To cope with uncertainty, we need to engage in active coping strategies, instead of unproductive strategies to predict the future. It is natural to use worry as a coping mechanism because it feels like it can control uncertain situations. However, it will not help us find a clear, outcome-based solution. Constant worry keeps us unfocused and dissipates our energy to manage uncertainty. Coping with uncertainty requires a mindset that is selective and active in the approach. This approach requires us to look beyond the challenges, and instead establishes trustworthiness, features proactiveness, uses a holistic perspective, and mitigates risks.
No matter where we are in our ability to cope with uncertainty, we can develop the skills to re-invent how we interact with our environment. Perhaps it is time to recognize that we are in a generation-defining moment to optimize this period of uncertainty, instead of spiraling downward.
The next few blogs will describe practical and real-life ways you can learn to live with uncertainty.
References
Buheji, M., Ahmed, D., & Jahrami, H. (2020b). Living uncertainty in the new normal. International Journal of Applied Psychology, 10(2), 21-31.
Buhr, K., & Dugas, M. J. (2002). The intolerance of uncertainty scale: Psychometric properties of the English version. Behavior Research and Therapy, 40(8), 931–946. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0005-7967(01)00092-4.
Hagan, T. L., Fishbein, J. N., Nipp, R. D., Jacobs, J. M., Traeger, L., Irwin, K.E.,...Temel, J. S. (2017). Coping in patients with incurable lung and gastrointestinal cancers: A validation study of the Brief COPE. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 53, 131–138. http://dx.doi.org/10 .1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.06.005
Rettie, H., & Daniels, J. (2020). Coping and tolerance of uncertainty: Predictors and mediators of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. American Psychologist