In some cases, you may have been taught or observed that not knowing what to do is unacceptable. Because of this, whenever you don’t know what to do, you may view that as a reason to be anxious or unhappy because you believe it’s something that should never happen. Overcoming this trigger requires you to see that, yes, you may dislike the fact that you don’t know what to do in a certain situation, but that doesn’t mean you have to see that as a reason to be or feel anxious.
It is useful to remember that not knowing what to do typically happens when you’re in a new situation or don’t know enough to make a decision. Is it possible that you will always know what to do? Maybe, but the only way that can be guaranteed is if you are are perfect, and there have been no reported perfect human beings on Earth so far.
Not knowing what to do is often an opportunity to learn something new or to experiment. Several widely used inventions, like the airplane, automobile, and light, resulted from several rounds of experimentation. These great inventors had a goal in mind but didn’t know exactly what to do. If you read up on the stories and lives of highly praised chefs, you’ll also see that a big part of some of their journeys is experimentation.
Some environments aren’t the right fit
There may be times when you’re in an environment that thinks it’s “bad” or doesn’t allow us to at times, not know what to do. If so, that environment is likely not the right fit for you, and we recommend strategizing how to get into a different environment that will make it easier to achieve your goals. You may be unable to change environments immediately. If that’s the case, it’s important to remember that you don’t have to view the pressure and opinions from your environment as reasons to be anxious. In particular, if others think it’s unacceptable to not know what to do, you don’t have to see that as a reason to feel bad even if they you should They are humans just like you way so their opinion isn’t inherently more valuable then yours.
How to handle outside pressure
There may be several reasons why you may not know what to do in a situation that other people and even yourself may overlook. There are also some people who think they must always know what to do and quietly suffer as a result of this pressure. Some of these people think others should live by this standard as well. In other cases, people create cultures that don’t allow others to be unsure of next steps as a way to push others to work harder or do certain things.
For those of us who want to be anxiety free with, these outside pressures and standards can no longer be seen as reasons for us to be anxious or feel bad.
If you’d like help with this trigger, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or reach out for help.
Recommended reads for overcoming social anxiety (link)
There’s more
If you struggle with low self-esteem, self-consciousness, low self-worth, or low self-confidence we encourage you to view our self-help solutions for these and other common psychological challenges.
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