26/08/2025
The Pulse of Uncertainty
How to reset your body when your brain is stuck in limbo
“I’ll be sitting at my desk and feel a pause.
Like my heart forgets what to do.”
Brian’s heart was structurally fine.
But his nervous system wasn’t.
Two months of job uncertainty had taken a toll.
He was stuck in a loop of what-ifs, and his body was looping too.
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🧠 Science
Uncertainty activates the brain’s threat centers (amygdala, insula), while exhausting the prefrontal cortex, the part that helps us stay calm and focused.
The result?
• Racing heart
• Skipped beats
• Shallow breath
• Sleeplessness
The body braces, even if nothing’s “happened.”
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📿 Wisdom
“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” — Seneca
Ancient traditions knew this pain.
The Stoics called it training.
The Buddhists called it impermanence.
Vedanta called it a fog.
They all pointed to the same thing:
When you can’t control the future, return to the present.
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🛠 Strategy: The Open Loop Reset
1. Name what’s unresolved.
2. Notice how your body is reacting.
3. Take one small action.
4. Close a different loop: give your body something it can complete.
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Uncertainty doesn’t always scream.
Sometimes, it skips a beat.
▶️ Read the full post: “The Pulse of Uncertainty”
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