Finding comfort working in the ‘unknown’

Image of blog author Ashley Callard. She is a Caucasian female in her 30’s with curly brown hair and brown glasses.

A personal reflection by Ashley Callard.

As a person with anxiety, the ‘unknown’ is not tolerable. It is a threat. A risk. Something that must not be allowed to continue lurking… in its ‘unknowingness’. You can probably tell I am not the biggest fan of the ‘unknown’.

I’ve spent the best part of a decade trying to control the ‘unknown’. From pretending it is not there to talking therapies, medication, exercise, and yoga retreats — you name it, I’ve tried it all. It was around two years ago that I hit a wall. When I hit it and couldn’t really see a way past it, I was somewhat forced to sit with the ‘unknown’. I was going through a really unpredictable and challenging time in a role where I felt that every day I was looking into and living in the ‘unknown’. After a while of living there, the fear began to mellow. Sitting in that space, existing, and having gradual exposure to the unknown can help with that uncomfortable feeling.

There are a few things that helped me along the way that maybe might help you in your own journey ‘into the unknown’ (the Frozen II fans among us will probably be chuckling right about now.. or maybe just me?) The experiences I had personally have really helped me manage the ‘unknown’ in my professional life, so I hope the below is helpful.

1. Gradual exposure to the ‘unknown’. Just sit with the feeling for a while. Really tune in to how you feel. Scared? Nervous? Anxious? Try to move past the feeling and think about WHY you feel that way. Possibly, it’s because you care. You want success. You don’t want to let people down. You want to deliver for your charity. The root cause of this says a lot about you and your life values.
2. Acceptance can be powerful. There is a funny element of control in this sentence. You are accepting that you don’t know the answer or how to go about it, and in that, you are still controlling the narrative to some degree. For those of us who need that control, this can be comforting.
3. What can you control? This helped me massively during the period I mentioned before. Block 15 minutes out of your day for worrying. Catastrophise, write down your survival plan or worst-case scenario action plan, and indulge the itch for 10 minutes. For the last 5 minutes, plan a next step, such as spending 10 minutes researching training in this area, looking for articles in the news about this topic, and so on. Something actionable.
4. Frame the ‘unknown’ as a question. The last peer mentoring session is to thank for this one. For me, this was the lightbulb moment. If you can frame the unknown as a question, that can be much easier to answer than staring into the abyss, not knowing where to go. ‘What do I think I don’t know’? ‘How can I find support to find out about X?’ ‘How can I learn where to go?’

So there’s my two pence. A few thoughts and tips I have found for working in the ‘unknown’. I guess, for me, it’s about navigating your way through the unknown without even really knowing it. Then, when you’re at the other end, you realise how far you’ve come.

How do you navigate the ‘unknown’? I am always looking for ideas to make the journey easier, so share below :)