Some uncertainty is part of everyday life, but significant or long-lasting uncertainty can be hard on your mind and body.
You can feel better by focusing on what you can control, creating routines, limiting your exposure to stressful news, and staying in the present.
Talking to someone you trust — like a friend, family member, or therapist — can help you feel supported and less alone.
What are some ways you can cope during uncertainty? If you're asking yourself that question, you're not alone. Life can feel especially heavy when you don’t know what’s coming next — whether it’s waiting for test results or facing a big decision.
When faced with intense uncertainty — like during a health scare, job loss, or major life transition — it’s common to feel anxious, overwhelmed, or even disconnected from yourself. While people navigate everyday unpredictability all the time, more serious, long-term uncertainty can shake you to your core and impact your mental health.
In these moments, it’s helpful to have strategies to support your emotional well-being. Here are some ways to cope with uncertainty.
1. Limit your exposure to uncertainty triggers
When you're always hearing upsetting or confusing news — like on social media or in conversations with others — it can make you feel more worried and like the world isn’t safe. Taking a break from it can help you feel calmer and stop your thoughts from spinning out of control.
Example: You’re scrolling through news or social media, and you start feeling overwhelmed by stories about politics or global events.
Try this strategy: Set specific times to check the news or social media, and avoid doing so right before bed or first thing in the morning.
Why it helps: This approach reduces “news anxiety” and mental overload, helping you stay calmer and more focused throughout the day. Not setting limits can increase stress, making it harder to think clearly about your own life and decisions.
The care you need, when you need it
Learn how Rula can support your mental health journey
2. Take charge of what you can control
When life feels uncertain, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by everything outside your influence. Shifting your focus to what’s within your control can break the cycle of helplessness.
Example: You’re worried about a big project at work or uncertainty in a relationship.
Try this strategy: Focus your energy on tasks and choices that are within your control. For example, you might prepare thoroughly for the project or communicate openly with your partner.
Why it helps: Taking action in areas you control builds confidence and reduces feelings of helplessness. Ignoring this can lead to feeling stuck and paralyzed by worry.
3. Build routines to create stability
Uncertainty can throw off your usual daily structure, which can leave you feeling scattered or drained. Establishing a few steady routines can restore a sense of order in your life.
Example: Your daily schedule feels chaotic because of changing work hours or family demands.
Try this strategy: Create simple routines for meals, sleep, and self-care, even if other parts of your day are unpredictable.
Why it helps: Routines give your brain familiar landmarks that reduce anxiety and improve mood. Without routines, stress can pile up and disrupt your sleep or energy.
4. Practice mindfulness and grounding
When you feel stuck in worry, bringing your attention to the present moment can help you feel calmer. It can stop your thoughts from spinning and make it easier to deal with the unknown.
Example: You’re at work, and your mind starts racing about a potential layoff or future financial stress. You feel your heart rate pick up and can’t focus on the task in front of you.
Try this strategy: Pause, and name five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste. This “5-4-3-2-1” technique can quickly reconnect you with the present.
Why it helps: Mindfulness brings attention back to what’s happening right now, rather than what might happen later. Grounding techniques calm the nervous system, reduce panic, and give your brain the signal that you’re safe. These forms of self-care can help you better manage uncertainty.
5. Reach out to supportive people
Stress and uncertainty can make you want to retreat inward, but isolation often worsens anxiety. Staying connected to others can help ground you emotionally.
Therapists who practice existential therapy often highlight how anxiety can stem from feeling alone in the face of big life questions. Connecting with others — whether it’s a friend, family member, or therapist — can offer a sense of shared understanding when things feel uncertain.
Example: You’re feeling isolated during a life transition, like moving or a breakup.
Try this strategy: Connect regularly with friends, family, or support groups — even if it’s just a quick call or message.
Why it helps: Social support reminds you that you’re not alone and can provide helpful perspectives. Avoiding connection can deepen feelings of loneliness and increase anxiety. Therapy can help you explore these feelings, make sense of your experiences, and reconnect with a sense of meaning and direction.
If everyday decisions feel paralyzing, small unknowns trigger intense anxiety, or you’re constantly on edge, it could point to an underlying mental health condition. Talking with a therapist or leaning on supportive friends and family can help you learn ways to tolerate uncertainty without feeling overwhelmed.
Brandy Chalmers, LPC
Clinical reviewer
Find care with Rula
We all deal with everyday uncertainty, but bigger unknowns — like illness, job loss, or major world events — can deeply affect our mental and physical health. These moments can feel overwhelming, but it can help to learn practical ways to cope and regain a sense of stability. Support is available to help you through times of uncertainty.
At Rula, we’re committed to delivering a comprehensive behavioral health experience that helps people feel seen and understood so they can get back to feeling their best.
Rula makes it easier to find a licensed therapist or psychiatric provider who accepts your insurance so you don’t have to choose between affordable care and excellent care. With a diverse network of more than 15,000 providers, 24/7 crisis support, and appointments available as soon as tomorrow, we're here to help you make progress — wherever you are on your mental health journey.
Brandy Chalmers, LPC
Having faced challenges like childhood abuse, neglect, and the loss of her father to suicide, Brandy Chalmers is deeply passionate about providing compassionate care. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and Registered Play Therapist with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy.
Brandy also teaches at a university, sharing her expertise with future mental health professionals. With over a decade of experience in settings like inpatient care and private practice, she specializes in helping clients with perfectionism, trauma, personality disorders, eating disorders, and life changes.
Rula's editorial process
Rula's editorial team is on a mission to make science-backed mental health insights accessible and practical for every person seeking to better understand or improve mental wellness.
Members of Rula’s clinical leadership team and other expert providers contribute to all published content, offering guidance on themes and insights based on their firsthand experience in the field. Every piece of content is thoroughly reviewed by a clinician before publishing.
