View original article published in Psych Central–

In the cryptocurrency world, fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) is something investors don’t want to experience. When FUD spreads, the value of the coin will drop, and those who invested will be unsure of what to do and wonder when the pain will stop.

FUD is also something that people with anxiety don’t like to endure. They avoid and seek reassurance in order to be sure that FUD (fear, uncertainty, or doubt) is not part of their lives. Yet, they forget that FUD is part of the human condition. When we perceive danger, our survival built-in mechanism warns us, and fear sets in so we can escape or fight the danger. This is a good thing. Otherwise, our ancestors would not have made it, and we would not be here. Fear helps us stay alive!

Uncertainty and doubt are also part of our journey. Take a minute to think about how you’re willing to allow uncertainty and doubt in some areas of your daily living. For example, if your anxious mind is not targeting worries about driving on the highway, you drive every day knowing the possibility of accidents, yet willingly accept that uncertainty and drive anyway.

On the other hand, when your anxious mind targets your religion and moral values, you may not be willing to accept the risk of being dishonest and feeling unworthy of God’s blessings. It may be difficult to accept uncertainty in this area, and FUD escalates.

Have you considered that your anxious mind may be making all the rules, and you are blindly obeying them? When your mind says, “You cannot take the chance,” FUD ensues and you get caught up in the anxiety trap. Think about it, can you really trust your mind 100 percent?

When anxiety starts to get in the way of what matters most, you are probably fighting FUD. However, being open to FUD could benefit you.

Consider these questions:

• Do I have less alarming thoughts and anxiety when I push FUD away?
• Has fighting FUD been effective in the long run?
• Where is my emotional, physical, and mental energy spent?
• Am I missing out on living the kind of life I want to have because I’m battling with FUD?
• If what I have been doing in the past isn’t working, is it worth trying something different?

Next time FUD shows up, ask yourself, “Where is the tiger?” Of course there is no tiger. Your mind may be perceiving danger, and your automated response to protect you is taking place.

Acknowledge that and say one of the statements below as if you were speaking to your mind. Notice what is going on internally without combating or feeding FUD. Instead, allow FUD to come and go as other private events (thoughts, feelings, sensations, and urges) do.

Try these statements throughout the week:

• Thank you mind. You are doing a good job at worrying me. You could be right!
• Mind, you have a point; I’ll consider it.
• There goes my mind again. Protecting me as usual. We’ll see.
• I’m noticing the feeling of anxiety.
• I’m noticing fear in my body.
• I’m noticing the thought about…
• I’m noticing uncertainty and doubt… I’m not surprised.
• My mind is doing what it does best. We’ll see what happens.

The overall goal of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) is to instill psychological flexibility in people’s lives. One of ACT’s six core processes is called Cognitive Defusion. We all become fused and entangled with thoughts and other internal experiences. The statements above will start the disentanglement. You may also notice there is uncertainty added to some of these statements because otherwise, they could become too reassuring and get you entangled again.

Though fear, uncertainty, and doubt are unpleasant internal events, remember, they are part of our existence. We can all benefit by acknowledging this fact. When you try to push them away, that’s when you ignite them as if they were dry brush in the forest.

Next time the anxious mind spreads FUD in your world, try something different!