Recently, I have been thinking a lot about how we deal with uncertainty.
Often, the anxiety we feel does not come from the challenge itself, but from how we interpret it. When the outcome is unclear and we are forced to wait, uncertainty can easily grow into fear.
The goal is not to eliminate uncertainty completely. That is impossible. The real challenge is learning how to endure the time before the answer arrives.
Many people say that simply talking to someone can help resolve problems. In my case, that was often not possible. Sometimes situations are sensitive, and the problems themselves cannot easily be shared. Over time, I had to learn how to think through these moments on my own.
Through my research and life, I realized that enduring uncertainty requires three things: Explainability, Predictability, and Growth mindset.
1. Explainability — Diagnosis
First, we must be able to clearly explain the problem we are facing.
The most powerful tool for this is writing.
Thoughts floating in our heads are often vague and disorganized. But writing forces ideas to follow logic. When we try to put thoughts into words, we quickly realize which ideas are clear and which are not.
Writing slows down thinking. And when thinking slows down, problems become sharper and easier to understand.
During my PhD, I developed a habit of sitting down every morning and writing the research problems I was trying to solve on a blank sheet of paper. Surprisingly often, once the problem was written down, it became much simpler than I had imagined.
There is something deeply liberating about confining your overwhelming thoughts to a single piece of paper.
Many problems that felt overwhelming in my mind became manageable once they were written clearly.
2. Predictability — Painkiller
Uncertainty never disappears. One undeniable fact about the world is that it is inherently uncertain.
But even within uncertainty, patterns exist.
To see those patterns, we need a large enough sample size (n).
Throughout my career, I applied to many fellowships, scholarships, and awards. I was rejected countless times. One day, I compiled all my applications and realized something interesting: my success rate was roughly 20%.
That changed my perspective.
If the success rate is 20%, then statistically:
Apply to five → one might succeed.
Instead of obsessing over individual failures, I could focus on producing five strong applications.
Over time, failure stopped feeling personal. It simply became part of the process.
Interestingly, I often think about bats in this context. Bats coexist with many viruses because they maintain a balanced immune system. They keep a slightly elevated interferon response, allowing them to tolerate infections without catastrophic immune reactions.
In a similar way, I tried to maintain a small “immunity” to failure. Paradoxically, allowing myself to expect some failure made me less afraid of it.
Knowing that I could try again gave me a sense of control, even in uncertain situations.
3. Growth — Rehabilitation
Finally, we must believe that challenges can strengthen us.
There is an old saying:
“When heaven is about to place great responsibility on someone, it first tests their resolve, exhausts their body, and frustrates their efforts.”
When I encounter difficulties, I try to think differently:
“Something good must be preparing for me.”
I also ask myself a simple question:
“Will this still matter five years from now?”
If the answer is no, I try to let it go.
Another realization I had is that once we overcome a challenge, it stops being our enemy. Instead, it becomes an asset. The same obstacle will appear for someone else in the future, and our experience becomes a guide.
One of my favorite sayings captures this idea perfectly:
“Every place you wandered eventually becomes your land.”
All the confusion, mistakes, and detours eventually become part of your territory.
Challenges appear constantly in life. When we interpret them as permanent or unavoidable, they can paralyze us.
But if we learn to place uncertainty within our plans, it becomes easier to keep moving forward.
Of course, these ideas cannot solve every problem. The greatest joy still comes when the problem itself is finally resolved. In many cases, time is the only thing that can truly provide that answer.
But until that moment arrives, I hope these small mental tools can help make the waiting more bearable.
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