When You are Anxious About an Uncertain Future

Perhaps uncertainty is life’s way of summoning us to access the courage and openness that is required to receive all the gifts that are in-house for us. To relinquish the anxiety, we ought to let go of the attachment to any particular outcome.

By Imi

Life is full of uncertainty.

We know that on an intellectual level, but many of us still struggle every day on an emotional and spiritual level. Here are a few ways to think about the situation and ourselves that may pull us through challenging times. Practicing a few mental shifts consistently can help remind us of who we really are, and to align ourselves with the life force and possibilities that would eventually hold us. 

Whatever anxiety we have today about a future we cannot control over losing something we hold precious, or not getting where we want to be, we can learn to see them as the precious doorway to our fullest potential.

Perhaps uncertainty is life’s way of summoning us to access the courage and openness that is required to receive all the gifts that are in-house for us. To relinquish the anxiety, we ought to let go of the attachment to any particular outcome. Spiritual maturity is about getting ourselves ready for the things life has planned for us. It is about opening and receiving, rather than forcing and powering through.   

The trick here is knowing that we cannot pick and choose. 

We will receive abundance, but we cannot determine the shape and form of our success. We will be challenged, but we cannot choose the intensity and the flavor of our hurdles. We will be loved, but we cannot decide what it looks like and when it comes. But we are not powerless—quite the opposite, as our power lies in getting ourselves so thoroughly and completely prepared for whatever is coming. 

Just like a good gardener, we prepare the soil and work with the rhythm of nature, rather than against it. Like a good host, we ready our home for the friendly and unfriendly guests with an equal welcome, like a good alchemist, we set our mind to turn any metal into gold. When we do this, we shall receive the greatest gifts of our lifetime. It is inevitable, for the natural law states when the condition is ripe, the seeds must grow. Complete openness takes tremendous courage, but it is our only way through. 

During this chaotic and exciting time, here are a few things we can do: 

Practice healthy grieving. Let the old—a person, a relationship, an idea of who we were— go. 

In grief, we may feel sad, resentful, and angry, but we can remind ourselves that this is natural, and in fact progressive. We can allow the tenderness to wash through us; it is only by releasing the good, we make room for the best. 

Practice trusting life. Life never gives us too much, or too little. Whatever is going to happen, is a curriculum perfectly designed for us. It is big enough to stretch us but is proportionate enough for us to breath.

Practice trusting ourselves. We are infinitely adaptable, beyond imagination. Maybe we can imagine ourselves as a tree that sways but will not break. When life sends us the next unexpected storm, we will first wobble, but in our wobble, we will find strength. Then, the occasion will shape us into who we ought to be-—a stronger, fuller version of ourselves. After all, we have done it many times before, haven’t we? 

Let life change us. When we align with a life force bigger than ourselves, we paradoxically grow up as calmer, more resilient adults. It is here that we realize that we are not on our own, and we are perfectly safe on this journey we call life.  

Imi is a Psychotherapist, Arts Therapist, Coach and Author of the Amazon bestseller Emotional Intensity and Sensitivity. She sits at where art, culture, psychology and spirituality meet, and her mission is to inspire and empower emotionally intense, sensitive and gifted individuals to rise from being the ‘misfits’ to being the leaders of the world. She has been featured as a specialist in the field in publications including The Psychologies Magazine, The Telegraph, Marie Claire and The Daily Mail. Her work also appears on Psychology Today, The Elephant Journal, and Counselling Directory. Imi has lived and worked in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, the USA and the UK.  She started her career as a social worker and was trained as a yoga teacher and holistic health practitioner. She is a trained suicide crisis counsellor, a Certified Schema Therapist, an EMDR therapist, and a mindfulness teacher. Combining her life-long passion and clinical expertise, she founded Eggshell Therapy and Coaching, where she works with intense souls across the world. Imi owns over a thousand Japanese comics and eats broccoli every day. Check out her website here.

Photo: Pixabay

Editor: Dana Gornall

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