Challenging Intolerance
of Uncertainty
Psychotherapy
Research
Training
C
C
I
entre for
linical
nterventions
Do the exercise below and ask yourself some questions to dissect your intoler-
ance of uncertainty and question your need for certainty. These questions can
help you to see that trying to eliminate uncertainty and unpredictability from your
life is both impossible and unhelpful, prolonging worry.
Can you be absolutely certain about everything in life?
What are the advantages of requiring certainty in
life? How has needing certainty in life been helpful to you?
What are the disadvantages of requiring certainty
in life? How has needing certainty in life been unhelpful to
you or detrimental to your life?
Do you tend to predict that something bad will
happen, just because you are uncertain? Is this a
reasonable thing to do? Could something good or neutral just
as likely happen?
What is the likelihood that the things you predict
will happen? If the likelihood tends to be low, could you
live with this small chance?
Are there some uncertainties in your life that you
can live with? How do you do this? Can you do the same
thing in situations where you have difficulty tolerating uncer-
tainty?
Talk to the people you know. Ask how they cope
with the uncertainty and unpredictability of life?
Could you do the same thing they do in situations where you
have difficulty tolerating uncertainty?
This document is for information purposes only. Please refer to the full disclaimer and copyright statement available at
http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au regarding the information from this website before making use of such information.
See website www.cci.health.wa.gov.au for more handouts and resources.