Every possibility lives in the space between what we know and what we don’t.
If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s this: certainty is a luxury item. One day you’re planning a quiet week, the next you’re doomscrolling through world news with one hand and eating peanut butter straight from the jar with the other.
Uncertainty is part of being alive — it always has been — but in times like these, it feels like it’s been put on steroids. Rapid changes in politics, technology, climate, and economics can make our nervous systems feel like they’re on a non-stop rollercoaster. And, like every human ever, we’ve developed coping mechanisms.
How We Cope (a.k.a. “The Things That Seem to Help But Don’t”)
- Social media doomscrolling: Staring at a tiny glowing screen, scrolling endlessly, trying to find some post that will magically explain the future to us. Spoiler: it’s not coming.
- Comfort eating: Because who can predict the economy, but at least we can predict the taste of chocolate cake.
- Overthinking: As if running simulations in our heads will convince the universe to show us the script ahead of time.
- Numbing out completely: Netflix, gaming, or reorganizing your spice rack for the third time this month.
The truth is, these strategies are just our brains trying to soothe themselves. According to neuroscientists, uncertainty triggers our amygdala (the part of the brain that handles fear and threat detection) and kicks us into fight, flight, or freeze. This made sense when uncertainty meant “there’s a rustle in the bushes and it might be a lion.” It’s less helpful when uncertainty means “Will my industry still exist next year?”
Flipping the Script on Uncertainty
Here’s the good news: uncertainty doesn’t just mean danger — it also means possibility.
Think about it: every major positive change in your life came from a moment when you didn’t know exactly how things would turn out. First love. New job. Moving to a city you’d never lived in before.
Uncertainty is a signal that something is shifting. And yes, shifts are uncomfortable. But they’re also the birthplace of growth, creativity, and transformation. Psychologists call this the “learning zone” — the messy middle between comfort and panic, where we’re forced to adapt and discover what we’re capable of.
How to Make Friends with the Unknown
- Name your coping mechanisms (without shame). Notice when you’re numbing or avoiding, and ask: “What am I actually feeling right now?”
- Get curious instead of catastrophic. Instead of “This is the end,” try “What could this make possible?”
- Anchor in what you can control: your routines, your values, your daily actions.
- Stay connected. Humans regulate uncertainty better together — talk to your people.
A Final Thought
Uncertainty is not a glitch in the system. It is the system. The point isn’t to get rid of it, but to learn how to move with it — maybe even dance with it (badly, if you’re like me).
So next time life throws you into the unknown, take a breath, put down the phone, and remember: if things can get worse unexpectedly… they can also get better the exact same way.
With care (and curiosity),
Katja – Creator of HOMELESS
