Panic Your Way to Peace

The prompt today asks how I navigate uncertainty. The short answer is: terribly, but with impressive speed and stamina. Look, people who write self-help books love to talk about uncertainty like it’s a gentle crossroad in a forest. They say things like, “Lean into the unknown,” or “Embrace the discomfort.” I’m pretty sure the people writing those books have never once had panic and anxiety duking it out over a “can we chat?” text that showed up in the middle of an otherwise perfectly boring afternoon. Because if they had, they’d know that leaning into the unknown usually feels less like a mindful stroll and more like riding a unicycle down a flight of stairs while holding a bowl of soup. When your brain operates on high-alert status 24/7, uncertainty isn’t a philosophical concept. It’s a full-contact sport. My process for handling it is very subtle and highly sophisticated. There are five phases. First, The Immediate Overreaction. If a check engine light comes on, my brain does not…