As long as we are thinking about a problem that we cannot solve, our body will turn on the sympathetic nervous system and create anxiety.
The key to dealing with unknowns is to find a way to deal with a problem that we cannot solve. We have some tools to our disposal.
1. Routine. Putting ourselves into a routine creates a sense of stability for the mind. In the concentration camps, the British prisoners faired the best because they created routines for themselves.
2. Exercise. Exercise creates neuropeptide Y, which bathes the amygdala and calms the sympathetic nervous system response. It also decreases inflammation produced by worry through the use of anti-inflammatory cytokines.
3. Perspective. If we can look at a problem and make it appear less impactful, this decreases anxiety. The higher the impact we picture that the unknown will have, the greater the anxiety. Often this looks like focusing on what is important, family, and diminishing the importance of what is being challenged, career, status, and home.
4. Acceptance. The body is exhibiting anxiety in response to a threat. If we can look at all of the possible outcomes and make peace with them, our anxiety will decrease. To make peace with them doesn’t mean that we are happy about the outcomes. It just means that we can be okay with the situation. Like a mother making peace with the pain of childbirth or a police officer in training making peace with being pepper sprayed. Another example is a child who scrapes their knee and screams but calms down when a kiss is applied. This is because the mind actually amplifies or decreases pain based on our perception of the problem.
5. Plan. Making contingency plans based on the possible outcomes helps to quiet the mind. This is because the body will no longer turn on anxiety to fight/flight a problem that it does not see as a threat.
6. Put it away. After we have done all we can do, put it away. Give it to God, the universe, or time. Take your mind off it and let it come. It will come if we stress about it or not. Taking our time to do things that we enjoy gives us a respite from the storm, if only for a couple of hours.