heal, unbroken, resilience

Kissing uncertainty.

Dear One,

Isn’t that exactly what it is when we step up to our challenges and responsibilities—kissing uncertainty?

Uncertainty is risky business.

We might be wrong.

We might be criticized or ridiculed.

It might be excruciatingly hard.

Uncertainty scares us because that’s how our primitive brains are wired—the urge to stay put (or keep walking) kept our ancestors alive.

Ugh.

But you know what?

Embracing the risk, messy and uncomfortable as it can be, is the only way to live our deepest, truest, most authentic lives. It’s the only path to healing I know. And it’s the only way to rise, rise, rise.

So, try this next time the unknown makes you squirm:

  • Tell yourself a different story: I am excited and exhilarated for this new experience!
  • Soothe the biology of uncertainty that makes it so uncomfortable: I breathe. I soften. I stay curious. I become my compassionate witness. I honor my feelings that are here to protect me. I tell my new story.

Yah, I want that kiss!

Love,

Karyn

Resources

Karyn Shanks MD. How to Work with the Grief of Change. 2020.

Karyn Shanks MD

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karyn Shanks, MD, is a physician who lives and practices in Iowa City. Her work is inspired by the revolutionary science of Functional Medicine, body-mind wisdom, and the transformational journeys of thousands of clients over her twenty-eight year career. She believes that the bones of healing are in what we do for ourselves.

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