We’re all the heroes of our own stories, but the heroes we admire in literature and on the screen find themselves undergoing spiritual and emotional transformations more often than they find themselves using the bathroom. If all of us are heroes, each going on a continuous, limitless, and recursive journey throughout the stages of our lives, then where are you in your journey? How does it relate to your current struggles? What lessons are here for you to learn? 

“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.” -Gilda Radner

Approaching Uncertainty

The uncertainty of your journey can make everything else more complicated. Without the firm footing of predictability, life can start to appear random, unmanageable, and hopeless. However, in order to live our lives properly, we must learn how to cope with uncertainty. How do you do this?

• By Setting Intentions. Setting good intentions can help us remain hopeful in the face of uncertainty. We might not be able to predict the future, but we can try to guide it towards something positive.
• By Listening To Your Body. Nothing contributes more to uncertainty than ignoring the messages of our bodies. If you have a habit of suppressing the instinctual sensations of your body, it will inevitably result in uncertainty when those unheeded feelings manifest into more serious problems of mental or physical health. 
• By Being Resilient. There will be times when there’s little we can do to improve the moment. When we come up against situations that are beyond our control, resilience can become our most vital skill. We don’t have complete control of the world around us, but we can control our reaction to it. Resilience takes practice and effort. Whether or not we learn how to be resilient in youth, it is something we all have access to. With our Resilience Mini-Course, you will be given the tools and wisdom you need to access your inner resilience and to get where you need to be on your journey.

Making Sense of Uncertainty 

All heroes must come to terms with uncertainty, and you are no exception. In fact, our heroes are most often those who can gaze into the madness of uncertainty without ignoring or lamenting it. That’s easier said than done, but if you are a hero (and you are), you have no choice but to learn. 

Not Knowing What To Do

Uncertainty can make the right decisions unclear, and the wrong decisions appear viable. Human beings evolved to feel ill at ease with uncertainty for this very reason. We fear the unknown because we have incomplete information, but making educated guesses with incomplete information is one of the defining features of humankind. There will be moments of hardship, but if you can come to accept the unknown, you can escape the anxiety, fear, and anger that so often plague those facing the unknown.

“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” -Thich Nhat Hanh

Uncertainty In Your Journey

As your journey unfolds, there will be uncertainty around every corner. The path to self-improvement is inescapably uncertain because it requires transformation from the known person we were into the unknown person we will become. But you can’t change all your attitudes around uncertainty overnight, and it requires different steps at different phases of the journey. So what phase are you in, and what lesson awaits you?

• The Whisper. When we first get an inkling that we need to change, that’s when we get our first good long look at uncertainty. Uncertainty is what makes us fear change, and going on the way things have always been. 
• Denial. This fear of change can manifest in denying your opportunities for growth. Without a complement of coping skills, the unknown can drive you into ignorance. In working through your denial, the unknown might still be frightening, but it will be a fear you know you can face. 
• Threshold. The unknown swirls around us right before we take the plunge. When we stand on the threshold of change, we have no choice but to face uncertainty. This phase is when you put it all together, and prove your bravery in the face of uncertainty to yourself. 

 If you feel stuck on your healing journey, working with a therapist can help. Based on your needs, our intake specialist will help you get matched up with your perfect therapist. Click here to schedule a consultation.

Sunny Ebsary is an educator, multi-modal artist, and writer specializing in the intersection of myth and mental health. Sunny’s writing walks the line between poetic and logical, giving readers a chance to interface with the mind and imagination. Sunny’s been putting pen to paper since he was a child, writing everything from albums, novels, and plays, to essays, interactive games, and of course, many articles! While studying both psychology and writing, he realized his real passion in life was helping others unlock their creative spark. Whether he’s leading a D&D game, directing a production, or diving deep into the brain, you can be sure Sunny will be ushering you toward finding meaning in your life.