MSS #0159: Safe in the Unknown – Calming Your Mind When Things Are Unclear

MSS #0159: Safe in the Unknown – Calming Your Mind When Things Are Unclear

24 Jan, 2026

🕒Read time: 2.9 minutes

🚀 In a hurry? Jump to “A Practice for Calming the Uncertain Mind” for a reduced reading time of 1.3 minutes.

Uncertainty triggers our brain’s fear system, even when there’s no actual danger.

This week, we explore why the mind resists the unknown — and how you can train it to respond differently.

By the end, you’ll have a powerful strategy to stay grounded when life feels ambiguous or unpredictable.

Why the Brain Fears the Unknown

Our brain evolved to keep us alive, not happy.

So, it craves certainty, even if the situation is negative.

Certainty lets the brain predict outcomes, reducing the need for constant scanning.

Uncertainty, on the other hand, activates the limbic system, especially the amygdala, which treats unknowns like danger.

In other words:

The brain interprets “I don’t know what will happen” as “I’m not safe.”

This explains why:

• We panic in silence after sending a risky email.

• We can’t sleep before test results or job news.

• We overthink when someone doesn’t reply.

Uncertainty sends the mind into protection mode.
Heart rate goes up.
Cortisol gets released.
The prefrontal cortex (your rational decision-maker) goes offline.

And suddenly you're trying to solve a puzzle, without the pieces, in the dark.

The Reality: Certainty Is a Myth

You’ve probably noticed this already.

Certainty is comforting — but it’s also a lie.

The truth?

Life is always uncertain.
We just feel better when we pretend it isn’t.

You didn’t know that traffic would be light this morning, but it was.

You don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but you still make plans.

The brain builds false certainty to reduce stress.
This is useful — until life surprises us.

Then, unless we’ve trained for it, the mind reacts with fear.

But you can shift this response.

Uncertainty doesn’t need to mean “unsafe”.
We can teach the mind to say: “I don’t know what will happen — and that’s okay.”

A Practice for Calming the Uncertain Mind

Here’s a simple process to train your brain to feel safer when you face the unknown.

It combines neuroscience and mindful awareness — no special equipment required.

1. Notice the signal
You’ll often feel it before you label it.
A knot in the stomach. A spinning head. A restless urge to check something.
Name it: “This is uncertainty.”

🔬 Why this works:
Labelling emotions activates the prefrontal cortex, which helps regulate the amygdala — your brain's alarm system.
This technique is sometimes called “Name it to tame it.”

2. Name what you do know
The brain likes anchors.
Try this:

o “I’m in a safe place.”

o “I don’t have the answer yet, but I will.”

o “Uncertainty is uncomfortable, but not dangerous.”

🔬 Why this works:
This is called cognitive reappraisal — reframing a situation to reduce its emotional charge.
It helps you regain a sense of agency and reduces the stress hormone cortisol.

3. Ground in the body
Uncertainty is a head game — break the cycle through the body.

o Drop your shoulders.

o Feel your feet on the floor.

o Exhale slowly, at least twice.

🔬 Why this works:
These movements activate the parasympathetic nervous system, especially the vagus nerve, which lowers heart rate and stress.
This shifts your body out of fight-or-flight mode.

4. Repeat a safety phrase
Here are some options — pick one or make your own:

o “Not knowing is part of life.”

o “I can handle this.”

o “Uncertainty doesn’t mean danger.”

🔬 Why this works:
Positive phrases engage self-directed neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to rewire itself based on internal language.
Research shows self-talk alters perception and reduces fear-based responses.

Summary

The brain craves certainty — but life doesn’t promise it.

By shifting our inner response to uncertainty, we move from fear to flexibility.
You don’t have to remove the unknown to feel calm.
You just have to retrain the brain’s interpretation of it.

Quick recap:

• The brain treats uncertainty like a threat, triggering stress.

• False certainty soothes us — until it breaks.

• Certainty is an illusion, but safety can be trained.

• Use this 4-step practice to calm uncertainty:

  • Notice it → engages regulation.

  • Name what's known → reframes the threat.

  • Ground the body → soothes the nervous system.

  • Repeat a phrase → rewires perception of danger.

See you next week. One more thought 👇

Want more? 

When you're ready, 3 more ways I can help you:

1. My book - Nuclear Powered Resilience

2. Self confidence and resilience - £48 training course based on my book

3. Coaching packages - start with a FREE 15 minutes exploration session.

Other resources

If you haven't already, follow me on LinkedIn and hit the bell for daily posts on tips, insights and techniques or take a look at my website.

Want to explore what else I do? Including corporate speaking, coaching and workshops, or simply ask me a question or give me feedback on my newsletter - say hello in an email.

That's it for this week. Thanks for reading, really hope this helped. Contact me if you think I can help you further at [email protected].

Happy thinking.