Managing the Uncertainties in Our Life (Episode #24)

American Cheers, Jeers, and Tears

We all love to be safe, certain, and resolved in our lives. We hate the uncertainty of any kind. Lose-ends make us worry about our future, and this is normal.
Unfortunately, in our contemporary lifestyle one thing is certain: change. Adapting constantly to the changes around us makes us uncertain and worried. Managing the uncertainty in our life becomes a major undertaking only emotionally mature and intelligent people can manage.
Let’s start at the root of the problem. Our brains are not hard-wired to the so-called modern lifestyle. When facing uncertainty, our brain signals fear causing all kinds of irrational reactions. The less reliable information we have about our future, the more fearful and irrational decisions we make. The reason is that in this scenario our brain shifts our control to the limbic system of the brain where all emotions, fears, and anxieties are generated.
As soon as our brain faces uncertainty, it overrides our rational thinking and starts to over-react. With enough emotional intelligence, yes, there is something like that, we can trick our brain into making rational decisions instead of clouding our thinking.
Spotting any kind of uncertainty, the primitive part of their brain is trying to take over but the logical part needs to be the one in charge. In scientific terms, we have to “quiet” our limbic system before it gets out of control. I’ll explain one proven technique how to do that by avoiding uncertainty causing irrational decisions.