What Is This Anxiety?
Almost every third person I meet is struggling with some form of anxiety. Some are aware of it and speak about it openly, while others are clueless yet display all the traits of an anxious person. If you dive deeper into what causes anxiety, it usually stems from the fear of uncertainty. Many people have a hard time accepting that the future is unknown and beyond their control — no matter what they do or what assurances they seek.
Anxiety, however, is an evolutionary gift. In the wilderness, your ability to anticipate risks helps you neutralize them, making it a life-saving skill. But while we’ve come a long way in terms of civilization, that same instinct has now become a source of pain for many. Some suffer so intensely from anxiety that it escalates into panic attacks.
The fear of uncertainty is tied to the brain’s need to predict outcomes. For someone who loves being in control, or who has grown used to trouble, risk-sensing becomes a survival habit. Their mind constantly tries to forecast — either by replaying past memories or imagining future scenarios, often the worst ones. The body then starts reacting to these anticipatory events instead of the actual events. The brain misinterprets signals as if the danger were real, and in severe cases, this can trigger panic attacks.
When uncertainty is high, it means you have limited information about what may happen. Anticipation spikes, and the brain cannot build a reliable probabilistic model of the future. This very gap creates discomfort and becomes the root of anxiety. The greater the uncertainty, the stronger the anxiety. The mind craves predictability and safety — either because it lacks the skills and resources to handle uncertainty, or because it is too traumatized by past uncertain events.
In psychology, this is called the need for cognitive closure — the incessant urge to have definite answers rather than embracing the unknown. People with a high need for closure often struggle with spirituality, because their demand for certainty exceeds what religion or faith can offer.
When faced with uncertainty, you’re left with two choices: embrace it, or resist it. Embracing uncertainty means accepting that you can only prepare for eventualities. You use your brain’s predictive abilities wisely: plan for the worst case, and then live your life. Resisting uncertainty, on the other hand, leads you to either try controlling every outcome — or giving up entirely, unwilling to confront the situation before you.
Most often, we see people fall into one of these extremes: either obsessing over every detail, or being so unbothered that they fail to notice their life falling apart.
One has to understand that life is uncertain. You can plan, but you can never guarantee outcomes. You might plan excessively and create a sense of control, but it will always be partly illusory. We cannot predict every possible scenario in the world. All we can do is use our abilities to the best of our capacity, prepare for contingencies, and move forward one step at a time.
If you’re someone who procrastinates often, remember this: doing a bad job is sometimes better than doing nothing at all. A bad draft is better than no draft. A bad workout is better than none. A bad day at work is better than one spent idly at home. All you need are a few iterations to reduce uncertainty — and therefore, anxiety.