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Embracing Uncertainty - Achieving peace of mind as we face the unknown

by Susan Jeffers PhD

listed in psychotherapy

[Image: Embracing Uncertainty - Achieving peace of mind as we face the unknown]

An Extract

It is now time for you to take a deep breath and SURRENDER to the fact that you can control NOTHING when it comes to the future. To help you accept this reality, you need to say to yourself over and over again,

I have no control over the future.

I have no control over the future.I have no control over the future.

Believe it or not, you will soon come to realize that this 'negative' statement is a very positive affirmation! As you repeat this affirmation over and over again, you will consciously LET GO of any hope that you can create any certainty in your life. This sounds like bad news, but it truly isn't.., which leads us to the second reality.

Reality 2

Once you surrender to the fact that you are unable to control the uncertainty, you will, at last, be able to breathe a sigh of relief!

Yes, when you finally do reach that state of SURRENDER, you can't help but feel the peace that comes when you stop trying to do the impossible. (Did you ever notice how great it feels when you stop hitting your head against the wall?)

Understand that surrender in this case doesn't mean giving up on your attempts to do the very best that you can; it means letting go of something over which you have no control� THE OUTCOME of any situation in your life. Once you've let go of the outcome, you can understand why you are overcome with a wonderful sense of calm. 'Whew! I don't have to work so hard doing the impossible controlling the future. I can rest at last.' What a relief!

This is important: As long as you think you can beat the very nature of life itself, you avoid looking for a way of being in this world that actually embraces the nature of life itself.. . which is uncertainty. You continue to live with the delusion that there has to be a way to control everything.

If, however, you are totally clear that there is no way to create certainty in your life, you can then move on to something more life-affirming. That is, you can learn how to embrace uncertainty instead of trying to erase it� which, of course, is impossible!

This book can be ordered from the Positive Health bookstore. Please click the Bookshop image at the top of the column to your right, then click on Psychotherapy.

Reviewer
Sandra Goodman PhD
Publisher
Hodder Mobius
Year
2002
Format
Paperback
Price
0
Isbn
0-340-76862-2

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