Intolerance Toward Uncertainty: The Heart of Depresion and Anxiety

Intolerance toward uncertainty is part of the essence of depression and anxiety. Its genesis could very well be explained because, in part, we don't accept changes as positive or constructive things. Intolerance toward uncertainty plays a key role in our tendency to worry excessively. The way we have to accept uncertainty or the unknown can make a dent in our emotional state. It can even promote the appearance of emotional problems such as anxiety and depression. Sometimes we seem to be allergic to new things, to changes and the complications these brings about. We're scared to accept that things won't be just like they have been up until now. This leads us to close into ourselves and not pay attention to other possibilities that can lead us to improvement. "We consider uncertainty the worst of all evils until reality shows us otherwise." -Jean Baptiste Alphonse Karr – What is an intolerance toward uncertainty and what is it based on? By definition, an intolerance to uncertainty is a personal trait consisting of negative beliefs about uncertainty and what it implies. Recent evidence suggest that intolerance to uncertainty is oriented towards the future. Yet, it is not the same as an intolerance to ambiguity, which is understood to affect the present moment. Thus, we can emphasize that it is represented by two dimensions: Intolerance focused on the future is the thought that unforeseen events are very bothersome. This type of reasoning pattern is specially considered a specific factor of vulnerability of problems associated with anxiety and depression. Inhibitory intolerance: when the smallest doubt blocks you and makes you stop what you're doing. This specific factor is usually present in pathologies such as OCD. Intolerance toward uncertainty is a transdiagnostic concept which is being taken more into account when it comes to evaluating emotional problems such as anxiety and depression. Understanding its value can help us tackle all of those thoughts and emotions more effectively. All of those thoughts and emotions which destroy us from within, creating an enormous discomfort. “Uncertainty is so unpleasant for humans that, instead of accepting it in order to manage it, we prefer to invent a story for ourselves, that we are told and which we also tell others, about what is going to happen." The importance of making our thoughts flexible In this sense, we should point out that the search for absolute certainty doesn't lead anywhere but to unhappiness. Not everything is cause and effect. In fact, nothing is absolute in this life of ours. We all tend to ask ourselves things like the following. What would happen if all of these aches were symptoms of an underlying cancer? What would happen if I don't find a good job? Both the answers we give ourselves to these kinds of questions, as well as the frequency and the type of events that make them emerge, are determining factors in considering this tendency as a dangerous habit. People with depression, anxiety or problems of this kind tend to be more catastrophic or negative in nature. We react strongly to uncertainty because we are in love with certainty. We love to have everything planned. This leads us to oftentimes mistakenly overestimate the negative consequences of events we know little about. Or also any events that don't fit the expectation we consider "normal". Our attempts to increase our certainty decrease the intolerance to uncertainty and lead to an increase in our worries. On the contrary, increasing your tolerance to uncertainty leads to a reduction in your worrying. This is a synonym of being more flexible. We can really learn to tolerate uncertainty better. Because at the end of the day, it's all about a habit that can be worked on. First, you can examine the reaction you have when facing unknown situations. Then, you can try to participate in an explicit way in the possibility that this event might take place in many different ways. Ways which might not exactly fit our expectations. Because if not tolerating uncertainty makes us more rigid and unhappy, tolerating it can help us be more flexible and, therefore, more happy. Oftentimes the key to changing and achieving complete emotional health is where we least expect it. And this finding is a perfect example of that. Source of interest for specialists: Sandín, B., Chorot, P. y Valiente, R. (2012). Transdiagnóstico. Nueva frontera en Psicología Clínica. Revista de Psicopatología y Psicología Clínica ,17, 3, pp. 185-203.