Handling Uncertainty: Planning for the Unknown Future

One of the main issues with change and uncertainty is that we lose the feeling of being ‘in control’. It is as if we are sitting in the passenger seat of our own car, waiting for something to happen. In this state, we become a potential victim to other people and our environment.

When faced with uncertainty, many people freeze up as they don’t think they can plan ahead. So, the question we need to ask ourselves is ‘how do I get back in the driving seat?’ The following tip is designed to help you practically… and psychologically feeling back in control and ‘on top’ of things again.

If you are in a situation where the future is uncertain, start by writing down the range of things that might or could happen, including best and worst-case scenarios.

Then go through each possible outcome one-by-one and write an action plan of what you would do if this became a reality… “If X happens then I will Y.”

You should then end up with a list of possible futures, each with a plan of action associated with it. This helps you to feel back in control of the situation as you are then ready (practically and psychologically) for most eventualities.