Embracing Uncertainty
A practical way to stop treating an unknown future like a guaranteed worst-case scenario.
Included in these Programs: STEP Training - LEAP Courses
Tool Overview
Uncertainty can be uncomfortable. When we don’t know what will happen, our brains can quickly fill in the blank with the outcome we fear most.
The problem begins when we start responding to that feared outcome as though it has already happened. We may avoid something new, overprepare, repeatedly seek reassurance, or spend our energy trying to solve a future we can’t actually predict.
Embracing Uncertainty is the practice of noticing when you don’t know, accepting that you don’t know yet, and choosing how to respond anyway.
That doesn’t mean ignoring real risks or pretending everything will turn out well. When you can influence the outcome, take action. When you can’t, practice returning to what is actually happening right now.
The goal isn’t to become certain.
Quick Practice: Try It Now
1 - Name what you actually know
Separate the facts you have right now from the predictions your mind is making.
Ask yourself: What is certain right now? What am I assuming?
2 - Notice the feared outcome
What are you worried might happen? Try to name it without treating it as inevitable.
Instead of “This is going to go badly,” try:
“I’m worried this could go badly, but I don’t know yet.”What are you worried might happen? Try to name it without treating it as inevitable.
Instead of “This is going to go badly,” try:
“I’m worried this could go badly, but I don’t know yet.”
3 - Ask what you can influence
Is there a reasonable action you can take that makes the outcome you want more likely?
If there is, take it.
4 – Make a coping plan
If the outcome you don’t want does happen, what could you do next?
Knowing you have options can make uncertainty easier to carry.
5 – Come back to the present
Once you’ve done what you reasonably can, return your attention to what is actually happening now.
Practice the phrase:
“I don’t know yet — and not knowing is okay.”
Common Mistakes
Treating the worst possible outcome as the most likely outcome
Trying to eliminate uncertainty before taking any action
Repeatedly checking, researching, or seeking reassurance without gaining useful new information
Avoiding unfamiliar experiences because you can’t predict exactly how they’ll go
Telling yourself everything will definitely be fine instead of acknowledging that the outcome is genuinely unknown
Spending energy trying to control something you don’t actually have control over
Why it works
Regular Unpacking draws from:
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) → separating what you know from what you predict and questioning the assumption that a feared outcome is inevitable
DBT (Dialectic Behavioral Therapy) → practicing mindfulness, distress tolerance, and acceptance when circumstances cannot immediately be changed
Trauma-Informed Approach → building coping plans, supportive routines, and a greater sense of stability while recognizing that complete predictability is rarely possible
Related Tools
Better Moment Bookmarks → remember previous times when uncertainty ultimately turned out okay
Judgement Icebergs → recognize the assumptions and judgments underneath your reactions to unfamiliar situations
Drive Your Attention → return your attention to the present after you’ve done what you reasonably can
Learn this in training
Embracing Uncertainty is taught as part of the STEP program, where participants practice applying it to real experiences and build it into ongoing routines.
