Getting Comfortable With Uncertainty

When life offers an unexpected twist or turn, it can really shake up your body and mind. You might tend to worry or get stuck in overthinking, or you might feel frozen. This practice will help you gradually shift your mindset to tolerate uncertainty with more of a sense of control. You'll practice breathwork, mantra, and learn how to shift the narrative in your mind to one of remembering that you can ALWAYS control your response.

Transcript

Welcome. I'm Joni, And this is a practice to help you get more comfortable with uncertainty. If you tend to be an overthinker, When your life and your circumstances feel particularly up in the air, When there's a significant amount of uncertainty, And you're not quite sure what's coming next, It can certainly put that overthinking mind into hyperdrive. And that can increase stress in the body, Anxiety in the mind and the heart. And so I'm gonna offer a couple of practices to help you shift away from the mindset of uncertainty, As well as to help to soothe your nervous system in those moments when you're feeling particularly out of control in terms of knowing what's coming next. Uncertainty is part of the human condition. Although we like to think that we have great control over our lives, The fact of the matter is that anything could happen to us at any time. And that can be a scary thought to sit with. The one thing that we have control over is our mindset and what we choose to do in this life, The action that we choose to take. There's a quote that's widely attributed to Nazi prison camp survivor Viktor Frankl. Between stimulus and response, There is a space. And in that space is our power to choose our response. And in our response lies our growth and our freedom. Our freedom is in that space that we can learn to create for ourselves anytime we're faced with a circumstance of uncertainty. We can intentionally take a pause. Sometimes that might look like stepping away from a circumstance. Sometimes that might look like sitting intentionally with the discomfort of an idea or a life change that you're facing. When you sit with this kind of discomfort, It can cause physical tension and an overactive mind. And so I invite you to do the following practice with me. Settle into a seated position. You're also welcome to lie down. Once you come into stillness. Take the deepest breath in through your nose, Expanding your belly and ribcage with that in-breath. And pause at the top of your inhalation. Hold your breath. Exhale with a sigh and let it go. We're going to do that again. Deepest breath in through your nose, Fill your lungs, Expand your belly and ribcage, And hold your breath. We're creating a pause between breaths. Exhale with that sigh. Let it go. One more breath like this. Deepest breath in through your nose, Fill your lungs. When you get to the top of that inhale, Pause the breath for a moment and then see if you can sip in just a little more breath. Hold. And let it go. Ahhhh. Allow yourself to breathe naturally. Focus on the sensations of each inhale and each exhale, Just your natural breath without controlling it. And notice here that at the bottom of every natural exhale, There's a natural pause that happens before you inhale. You don't have to create this pause. It happens all on its own. Every time we breathe in and breathe out, There's a little pause and then you breathe in again. Try to focus your attention on that brief pause, As if nothing else in the world mattered. Just wait for that brief pause and maybe say to yourself, There it is. And now maybe you can let that pause extend a little bit more with intention. Not too long, But maybe just for two or three seconds. You can let that pause extend and lengthen at the bottom of every exhale right before you inhale. Softly, Gently, No stress or strain, Just extending that pause at the bottom of the exhale. The rest of the breath is natural. Release your attention on the breath. All together. And I invite you to repeat the following phrases. I have arrived. I am home. Next. The energy of the earth runs through me and I am grounded to her. Finally. I am surrounded by ancestral protection. I am safe. Grounding yourself in this moment. Shielding and protecting yourself. And when you feel that this practice is complete. You can go ahead and open your eyes or start to move the body again, Just wiggling fingers and toes or stretching in any way that feels good. In this place. Where hopefully your nervous system has settled just a bit. I invite you to plant another seed in your mindset. And that is that you always have control. Over how you respond to your circumstances. You might say to yourself. I'm always in control over how I respond to my circumstances. I am always in control. Over how I respond to my circumstances. In repeating this phrase to yourself in practicing this daily, Little by little, You can learn to trust yourself again. That you have the capacity to work your way through whatever life offers you. You have the capacity to work your way through the exciting, Wonderful, Blissful times. And you have the capacity to work your way through the challenging, Sorrow-filled, Sometimes scary times. Because you have control over how you respond to your circumstances. This isn't easy work. And I'm not suggesting by doing this practice a few times that you'll feel better. But the more you practice remembering that life itself is inherently uncertain, But that we can ground ourselves and wrap ourselves in the knowledge that we still have control, We get to choose how we respond. The next step in this practice, Of course, Is when you're in a circumstance that is outside of your control. Remind yourself that you can choose how you respond. The simplest situation to practice this in is whenever you encounter traffic. The next time you're sitting in traffic. I invite you to call it out for yourself. Name the circumstance that you're in, Especially if you're in the car by yourself. Say to yourself, I am sitting in traffic. And if you're someone who tends to have an emotional reaction to traffic, Even a reaction like frustration or agitation, I want you to notice those emotions bubbling up inside. Let yourself feel them for a few moments. And then remind yourself of the power that you have. I get to choose how I respond to my circumstances. So how do you want to show up in those moments when you sit in traffic? Do you want to be fuming and tense and agitated? Or would you like to choose something else? Perhaps you could look at that time as found time to practice some deep breathing with your eyes open. Perhaps you can be curious and let your mind wander. Perhaps you can just become aware of the temperature of the air outside if you roll down your window. You can feel the connection between your body and the seat of your car. You can feel the texture of your steering wheel, Bringing yourself into that present moment. With an attempt to savor any pleasant sensation that you can notice. What can you enjoy in this moment? Perhaps it's just time to listen to your favorite music. But you get to choose how you respond. If traffic doesn't work for you, If that circumstance doesn't work, Try something else, A circumstance where you notice that you have a reaction. See if you can notice that reaction. Again, Let yourself feel it for a few moments. And give yourself the opportunity to shift. It might require a few deep breaths. It might require some words repeated in your mind. Maybe those grounding words. I have arrived. I am home. That's I am arrived, I am home in my body. The energy of the earth runs through me and I am grounded to her. And I am surrounded by ancestral protection. Reminding yourself of this, Allowing yourself to root, To ground, To feel safe in those moments of the uncomfortable unknown in time. You can train your nervous system to shift. Keep practicing and keep coming back. To listen to more tracks on Insight Timer. Thank you for showing up today.