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Therapy in a Nutshell

How to Deal with Uncertainty - Without Self-Sabotage

Therapy in a Nutshell

Therapy in a Nutshell -Emma McAdam

Mental Health, Education, Health & Fitness:mental Health, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.8658 Ratings

🗓️ 17 May 2024

⏱️ 16 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Most people don’t like uncertainty, but the people who can’t tolerate uncertainty the most are more likely to experience anxiety or depressive disorders, they’re more likely to struggle in relationships or not reach their potential in work or school. But here’s the thing. It’s not actually the uncertainty that’s the problem, it’s our attempts to avoid uncertainty that usually interfere with our lives. We love certainty. To such an extreme degree that we often self-sabotage instead of tolerating the uncertainty. We would rather fail than risk success because risking success comes with uncomfortable feelings. Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapyinanutshell.com Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books  Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger Institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LL

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hi and welcome to the Therapy in a Nutschell podcast. I'm Emma McAdam, a licensed marriage and family

0:04.8

therapist, and it's my mission to create easy to understand educational content about therapeutic

0:10.2

skills and topics that anyone can use in their daily life. Stay tuned till the end of the video

0:15.3

to learn more about my mental health courses, discounts, and other news related to therapy in a nutshell. I hope you enjoy the

0:22.4

episode. Each podcast episode comes from a corresponding video you can find on the Therapy in a Nutshell

0:28.8

YouTube channel. Also, these podcasts are educational and don't replace the advice or direction

0:34.4

you may be receiving from a therapist or other health professional.

0:38.2

All right, let's jump in.

0:40.3

Imagine this. You are wired to an electric shock device, and which one would make you more

0:46.3

anxious? You get told that there is a 50% chance of getting shocked, or you get told that you're

0:52.6

going to get shocked no matter what.

0:55.0

Researchers found that participants felt far more anxious if they were told that there was a 50%

1:00.1

chance of getting shocked than the participants who were told that there was a 100% chance of

1:04.9

getting shocked. Our brains hate uncertainty more than physical pain. So what's up with that? When we aren't certain what will

1:13.7

happen, our nervous system perceives that uncertainty as a potential threat that we could maybe

1:19.4

do something about. So it's like, oh, something bad might happen. So it kicks on this activated state

1:26.5

trying to spur us into some action to prevent bad things from happening.

1:30.3

And this feels like uncomfortable anxiety sensations.

1:34.3

Now most of us feel really uncomfortable with uncertainty.

1:37.3

So, for example, how do you feel in these situations?

1:41.3

Will this relationship work out?

1:43.3

Or should I leave before I get hurt? This world feels out

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