02/10/2026
What does uncertainty have to do with chronic symptoms?
Exploring symptoms of anxiety, pain and fatigue with my clients, we often find uncertainty under the surface.
Often there has been a lot of uncertainty in their lives - uncertainty during childhood; uncertainty about relationships; work; health; the future; or continuous worry about what happens next.
Then the symptoms themselves create a whole new layer of uncertainty:
What is wrong with me? Will I have to live with this forever? What if it gets worse? Why can’t I get better?
The result is a nervous system on high alert, sending signals to the brain of threat, which in turn can impact pain, anxiety and fatigue. It’s a vicious cycle. But one that can be broken.
Here’s a simple technique to stop the cycle in the moment - “Name, Allow, Return.”
• Name: “I’m noticing uncertainty right now.”
• Allow: Instead of trying to solve it, say: “I don’t need to know what happens next. I can let this feeling be here.”
• Return: Bring your attention back to what you’re doing right now — your feet on the floor, your breath, the conversation, or the next small task.
Repeat this whenever you notice the uncertain thoughts – it may need to be many times in the day! Overtime, practising a different response can create new patterns to how you relate to uncertainty, sensations and symptoms. 💚
If this resonates, join me on the CALME programme for 10 weeks of support from me, a Somatic Coach and EFT Practitioner, alongside lifetime access to many more practices, meditations, EFT videos, somatic tracking, visualisations and much more.
A structured pathway to guide you on your journey of recovery. Launching 5th October – link in BIO