Finding your footing when everything feels uncertain

If that's you, I want to say this first: you're not doing anything wrong. 

 

Your body and brain are responding exactly the way they're designed to when things feel uncertain. The sinking feeling in your stomach, the restless thoughts at 3am, the urge to control everything you can, it all makes sense. 

 

But here's what I've learned from working with people navigating big changes: you're more resourceful than you think. And there are practical tools that actually help. 

 

Not platitudes. Not "just be positive." Real practices that help you find your footing when the ground feels shaky. 

 

 

When those feelings of uncertainty kick in, our first instinct is usually to either try to control everything or panic and spiral into worst-case scenarios. 

 

Neither helps. 

 

The most powerful thing you can do? Pause and reset. 

 

Your body and your mind are in constant conversation. When your body is tense, your brain interprets that as "something's wrong, stay alert." But you can interrupt that loop. 

 

 

That's it. You're not avoiding the situation. You're giving yourself a moment to respond from a steadier place instead of pure reaction. 

 

These micro-moments of release add up. Do this a few times a day — before you respond to an email, when you notice tension or panic creeping in, when you just need to react from a calmer place. 

 

Research shows that even brief pauses can shift us from reactive to responsive mode. And that research backs up what you're feeling: slow, deep breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system ,the part responsible for rest and recovery, helping your body shift out of fight-or-flight mode. 

 

It sounds simple. But it works. 

 

There are many other breathing techniques out there, and it's worth exploring to find what resonates with you: 

 

 

The technique itself matters less than finding one that works for you and practicing it regularly. Even five minutes a day can make a difference. 

 

 

Here's something I remind my clients of constantly: you've been through uncertain times before. 

 

Maybe you didn't call it that at the time. Maybe it didn't feel easy. 

 

But you adapted. You figured it out. 

 

Your brain and body hold the memory of that resilience — even when you forget. 

 

Think of one hard thing you've already come through. It doesn't have to be massive. Just something that felt difficult at the time and that you navigated anyway. 

 

How did you get through it? 

What did you learn about yourself? 

What strengths did you discover? 

 

You already have evidence that you can handle hard things. Let that ground you, and give you the confidence that you can get through this as well. 

 

 

I was talking to a client last week who's going through a massive change at work. The account that's defined their role for the past two years? They are moving their business elsewhere. 

 

Understandably, they're feeling vulnerable, they are navigating unknown waters. They don’t know what it means for their job, their team, or their company. The "what now?" is loud. 

 

The urge to control what happens next is overwhelming. 

 

So we used a tool I come back to constantly: Stephen Covey’s Circle of Control. It's one of the most practical tools for navigating uncertainty. 

 

Circle 1 - What you can control: Your responses. Your choices. How you spend your energy. Who you ask for support. 

Circle 2 - What you can influence: Conversations you can have. Ideas you can propose. Relationships you can nurture. 

Circle 3 - What you can't control: Other people's decisions. Market conditions. Organizational changes. Global events. 

 

 

Try this: Write down what's worrying you. Then sort it: What can I control? What can I influence? What's completely outside my control? 

 

Let go of Circle 3. Spend your energy on Circles 1 and 2. 

 

When you focus your energy on what you can actually influence, two things happen: you feel less helpless, and you make better decisions. 

 

 

One of the simplest and most effective tools I know? Brain dumps. 

 

When your thoughts are spinning, you're trying to hold everything in your head at once. It's exhausting. And it keeps you stuck. 

 

Set a timer for 10 minutes. Write down everything that's on your mind. Every worry, every to-do, every "what if." 

 

Don't edit. Don't organize. Just get it out. 

 

Then step back and look at what you wrote. 

 

Often, you'll notice: 

 

This practice, sometimes called expressive writing or journaling, has been shown to reduce stress and improve mental clarity. 

 

This isn't magic. But it stops the spiral in your head. And something about writing it down, and bringing it into the real world creates just enough clarity to take the next step. 

 

 

When everything around you is shifting, you need two things: clarity on your values and perspective on your whole life. 

 

This is one of the most grounding tools I use with clients: values clarification. When you know what matters most to you, decisions become clearer. Uncertainty feels less overwhelming. 

 

Because even if you don't know what's going to happen, you know who you want to be as you navigate it. 

 

Research on values-based decision making shows that people who make choices aligned with their core values experience less anxiety and greater life satisfaction—especially during periods of change. 

 

Name your top 3 values. (Examples: integrity, connection, growth, creativity, impact, family, freedom). If you are struggling to name them, you can use an online tool to help you. 

 

Now ask yourself: 

 

Your values are your compass when the map keeps changing. 

 

When everything feels uncertain, it's easy to fixate on the one area that's shifting — usually work. 

 

But you're not just your job. You're a whole person. 

 

The Wheel of Life is a coaching tool that helps you see the full picture. It was originally developed by Paul J. Meyer and is now widely used in coaching to assess life balance. 

 

You can download my wheel of life tool here. 

 

Once complete, look at the wheel. Where are you thriving? Where needs attention? 

 

Often, when one area feels shaky, we can find steadiness by nurturing another. 

 

Maybe career / work is uncertain right now — but your relationships with friends are solid. Your health is strong. You're growing in ways that matter. 

 

You're not starting from zero. You've got ground beneath you. 

 

 

When things feel uncertain, most of us do the same thing: we look for answers outside ourselves. 

 

More news. More updates. More opinions from other people. We're searching for certainty out there. 

 

But here's what I see with my clients over and over: the steadiness you're looking for doesn't come from external validation or having all the information. It comes from within, and reconnecting to what is important to you. 

 

Before you reach for your phone tomorrow morning, pause. Ask yourself: 

 

These questions aren't complicated. But they shift you from reactive mode to intentional mode. 

 

And that changes everything. 

 

 

Here's what I know from working with people navigating all kinds of uncertainty: you're more capable than you think. 

 

You don't need to have it all figured out. You don't need to control every outcome. 

 

You just need to trust that you can handle what comes. 

 

And these tools? They help you do that. Not by making the uncertainty go away, but by helping you find your own steadiness in the middle of it. 

 

 

I work with people 1:1 through coaching. Creating space for you to find clarity, reconnect with what matters, and move forward with more confidence. 

 

I'm also running a luxury retreat from 24-27 April 2026, in the Cotswolds, UK, where we'll go deeper into these practices in a supportive, grounding environment. Held within an exclusive countryside estate, you will be guided through a gentle rhythm of rest, reflection, and reconnection. 

 

Coaching isn't about me having the answers. It is about helping you find yours. 

 

Feel free to get in touch via the website, or connect with me on LinkedIn.