The Discomfort of Not Knowing
We are wired to seek certainty. The human brain treats ambiguity as a threat — the same neural circuits that fire when we face physical danger activate when we simply do not know what is going to happen next. Researchers at University College London found that uncertainty about receiving an electric shock was more stressful than the certainty of receiving one. We would rather know the worst than sit with the unknown.
October amplifies this. The year is winding down. Questions surface: Am I where I should be? What will next year look like? Have I done enough? The leaves fall, and so does our illusion of control.
What Meditation Teaches Us About Letting Go
Every meditation session is a miniature rehearsal for uncertainty. You sit. You follow the breath. A thought arises — you do not know what it will be. A sensation appears in the body — you cannot predict it. The next moment is always unknown, and in meditation, you practice meeting it without bracing.
This is not passive acceptance. It is an active training of the nervous system to widen its tolerance for the unknown. Over time, meditators develop what psychologists call "distress tolerance" — the capacity to remain present with discomfort without needing to fix, flee, or numb. Meta-analyses have found that mindfulness-based interventions significantly increase this capacity, reducing anxiety and improving emotional regulation.
"The trees do not panic when their leaves begin to fall. They trust the cycle. Perhaps we can learn from them."
An Autumn Practice: Open Awareness
Try this ten-minute practice. Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Instead of focusing on the breath, open your awareness to everything at once — sounds, sensations, thoughts, emotions. Do not follow any single object. Simply notice what arises and let it pass, like leaves drifting through the air. When you catch yourself grasping at a thought or resisting a feeling, gently return to open awareness.
This practice teaches you that you can be present without needing to understand or control what is happening. That is a skill not just for the meditation cushion, but for every uncertain moment life hands you.
With steadiness,
The Salūs Team
References
de Berker, A. O., Rutledge, R. B., Mathys, C., Marshall, L., Cross, G. F., Dolan, R. J., & Bestmann, S. (2016). Computations of uncertainty mediate acute stress responses in humans. Nature Communications, 7, Article 10996.
Khoury, B., Lecomte, T., Fortin, G., Masse, M., Therien, P., Bouchard, V., … & Hofmann, S. G. (2013). Mindfulness-based therapy: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 33(6), 763–771.
Kraemer, K. M., Luberto, C. M., Hall, D. L., Ngo, L. H., & Yeh, G. Y. (2020). A systematic review and meta-analysis of mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions for affect intolerance/sensitivity. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 135, Article 103746.