Intolerance To Insecurity: The Heart Of Depression And Anxiety
Intolerance to insecurity is part of the essence of depression and anxiety. Its origin can very well be explained because we partly do not accept changes as positive or constructive things.
Intolerance to uncertainty plays a key role in our tendency to worry too much. The way we have to accept uncertainty, or the unknown, can create a dent in our emotional state. It can even promote emotional problems such as anxiety and depression.
Sometimes we seem to be allergic to new things, changes and the complications that this entails. We are afraid to accept that things will not be exactly as they have been until now. This causes us to shut ourselves in and not pay attention to other possibilities that can lead us to improvements.
What is an intolerance to uncertainty and what is it based on?
By definition, an intolerance to uncertainty is a personal trait that consists of a negative belief in uncertainty and what it entails.
Recent evidence suggests that intolerance to uncertainty is oriented towards the future. Yet it is not the same as an intolerance of ambiguity, which is understood to affect present moments.
Thus, we can emphasize that it is represented by two dimensions:
- Intolerance focused on the future is the idea that unforeseen events are very troublesome. This type of reasoning pattern is especially considered as a specific factor for vulnerability to problems associated with anxiety and depression.
- Inhibitory intolerance: When the slightest doubt blocks you and makes you stop what you are doing. This specific factor is usually present in pathologies such as OCD.
Intolerance to uncertainty is a transdiagnostic concept that is taken more into account when it comes to evaluating emotional problems such as anxiety and depression. Understanding the value can help us deal with all these thoughts and feelings more effectively. All the thoughts and feelings that destroy us from the inside create an enormous discomfort.
The importance of making our thoughts flexible
In this sense , we should point out that the search for absolute security leads to nothing but misfortune. Not everything is cause and effect. In fact, nothing is absolute in this life of ours. We all tend to ask ourselves questions like the following; What would happen if all these pains were symptoms of an underlying cancer? What would happen if I did not find a good job?
Both the answers we give ourselves to such questions, as well as the frequency and type of events that cause them to emerge, are crucial to considering this tendency as a dangerous habit. People with depression, anxiety or problems of this type tend to be more catastrophic or negative in nature.
We react strongly to insecurity because we are in love with security. We love to have everything planned. This often causes us to overestimate the negative consequences of events we know little about. Or events that do not fit the expectations we consider “normal” .
Our attempts to increase security increase intolerance of uncertainty and lead to increased concern. On the contrary, to increase tolerance your uncertainty leads to a reduction in your concerns. This is a synonym for being more flexible.
We can really learn to tolerate uncertainty better. Because it is ultimately about a habit that can be worked on. First, you can examine the reaction you have when faced with unfamiliar situations. Then you can try to participate in an explicit way in the possibility that this event can take place in many different ways. Ways that may not exactly fit our expectations.
Because if not tolerating uncertainty makes us more rigid and unhappy, tolerating it can help us to be more flexible and therefore happier. Often the key to change and achieve complete emotional health is where we least expect it. And this finding is a perfect example of that.
Sources of interest for specialists:
SandÃn, B., Chorot, P. and Valiente, R. (2012). Transdiagnostics. New frontier in Clinical Psychology. Spanish Journal of Clinical Psychology, 17, 3, pp. 185-203.
