Having Peace In Uncertainty

Would you like to experience peace in uncertainty? When we are met with the unknown, our brains can begin to over think and sense an urgent need to know what the outcome will be. We never stop to consider that until now, we have always resolved every outcome of uncertainty we have ever faced. And that remaining present to the moment and knowing that our innate intelligence and resilience can only show up in the here and now, frees us to stop ruminating and stay present to our lives.

Transcript

In this course, I wanted to talk about having peace in uncertainty. If you'd asked me five years ago if it was possible to remain in peace and calm in the face of uncertainty, I would have said to you, It's impossible. I used to have quite high levels of anxiety. So if anything uncertain showed up in my life, It would only serve to ramp up the anxiety. It would lead me into rumination, Over-analysis, Needing to speak to other people to gain reassurance. And the truth is, When we face uncertainty, The very nature of it is the fact that we do not know. We are in the realms of the unknown. We can't prophesize the outcome. We can't predict how we'll cope. We don't know what we'll do when it shows up. We just know that we're in the realm of uncertainty. And the reason I think we find it difficult to reside there is because we fear we won't cope with the outcome. Whatever the answer reveals itself to be, We fear we won't be able to manage ourselves through it. But then I became interested in the fact that up until now, I had managed every uncertainty. I thought I've experienced grief, I've experienced losing people I love, I've experienced ill health. And through all those circumstances, There were areas of uncertainty. And every time the outcome appeared. I found a resolution. I knew what action to take. That we have an innate intelligence within us that helps us to move in the direction of life and expansion and thriving. And what our brains can do is because they have this negativity bias built in for survival, We're always looking for what could go wrong, Potentially. And it's in a way that we want to predict. What could possibly go wrong so that we're prepared for the outcome. Except when we're in the realms of imagination, We're never prepared enough because we can imagine multiple worst case scenarios. There's an infinite possibility of negative outcomes and we can't mentally prepare enough. We can't always know what we'll do. And the fact is, Our whole body moves into an area of visceral panic and urgency, And that does not help our intelligence or our common sense if we're worried, Anxious or panicked in the face of uncertainty. What actually helps when we're facing any form of uncertainty, When we're facing anything in the unknown, Is to remain present. And the way I chose to remain present was to allow whatever sensations were arising within my body and let them be there. And when I say I allow those sensations, I observed them. So let's say I had a medical appointment and I was awaiting the results and I'm scared. I'm scared of what the results could say. I feel uncertain. I don't know the answer, But my brain is scrambling now to find one. I didn't engage with the thinking. I observed the thinking. I knew what my brain was telling me. And I disengaged with that and just allowed myself to feel what was happening in my body. And normally it was like a knot in the gut of my stomach, A tightness around my throat, A rising sensation of heat in my chest. And all I did was allow those feelings to be there, Maybe describe them to myself, But I didn't link or associate them with a thought. I let them be what they were. And what I noticed is they would rise and fall. They would move from one area of my body to another. They would dissipate over time. As long as I wasn't engaging in the thinking, They were free to come and go, And I would remain as present as possible. I'd look around the room. I'd touch a surface. I would engage my senses in the here and the now. And remind myself that any action that can be taken and that will be taken can only happen in the present moment. No amount of thinking, Ruminating, Analyzing, And mentally preparing will give me any sign of a realistic view of the future. I cannot tell you my future. I can just tell you what I can do in the moment that the outcome arises. In the present moment, We all have innate resilience, Innate intelligence, And the wherewithal to face whatever has come upon us and move in the direction of action that is productive and aligned with our values. So the next time you find yourself in uncertainty, Remember that up until now, You've dealt with everything that's occurred in your life because you have all the resources you need within you. And they can only really show up when the outcome is presented to you in the present moment. There's no need to ruminate. There's no need to analyze. We can use our brains for functional purposes, Making appointments, Being punctual, But we cannot predict our futures, And nor should we try. We can end up in a lot of mental turmoil in the process of trying to find answers to which there are none in that moment. The solution will always remain being present, Remaining where your feet are. Allowing the present moment to reveal what it wants to, And knowing that you will be able to deal with whatever shows up, Because you always have. If you've enjoyed this talk, I have an extended course on this called You Don't Have to Figure It Out, Finding Peace in Uncertainty. Hope to see you there. Wishing you well.