Managing the Fear and Anxiety of the Unknown

by Stanley Popovich

All most everybody worries about what will happen in the future. The prospect of notknowing if something good or bad will happen to you in the near future can produce alot of fear and anxiety. As a result, here is a list of techniques and suggestionson how to manage this fear of dealing with the unknown.

Remember is that no one can predict the future with one hundred percent certainty.Even if the thing that you feared does happen there are circumstances and factorsthat you can't predict which can be used to your advantage. For instance, let's sayat your place of work that you miss the deadline for a project you have been workingon for the last few months. Everything you feared is coming true. Suddenly, yourboss comes to your office and tells you that the deadline is extended and that heforgot to tell you the day before. This unknown factor changes everything. Remember:we may be ninety-nine percent correct in predicting the future, but all it takes isfor that one percent to make a world of difference.

Learn to take it one day at a time. Instead of worrying about how you will getthrough the rest of the week or coming month, try to focus on today. Each day canprovide us with different opportunities to learn new things and that includeslearning how to deal with your problems. When the time comes, hopefully you willhave learned the skills to deal with your situation.

Sometimes, we can get anxious over a task that we will have to perform in the nearfuture. When this happens, visualize yourself doing the task in your mind. Forinstance, you and your team have to play in the championship volleyball game infront of a large group of people in the next few days. Before the big day comes,imagine yourself playing the game in your mind. Imagine that you're playing in frontof a large audience. By playing the game in your mind, you will be better preparedto perform for real when the time comes. Self-Visualization is a great way to reducethe fear and stress of a coming situation and increase your self-confidence.

Remember take a deep breathe and try to find something to do to get your mind off ofyou anxieties and stresses. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, readthe newspaper, watch TV, play on the computer or do an activity that will give thema fresh perspective on things. This will distract you from your current worries.

A lot of times, our worrying can make the problem even worse. All the worrying inthe world will not change anything. All you can do is to do your best each day, hopefor the best, and when something does happen, take it in stride. If you still havetrouble managing your anxiety of the future, then talking to a counselor orclergyman can be of great help. There are ways to help manage your fear and all ittakes is some effort to find those answers.

Other articles by Stan Popovich:

• Managing your persistent fears and anxieties
• A review of techniques in managing depression
• Never lose hope in dealing with your fears and anxieties
• When someone you know struggles with fears, anxiety, and stress

Stan Popovich is the author of "A Layman's Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods" - an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: www.managingfear.com.

Join our Chat and Forum Community!