Managing Anxiety Through Curiosity and Values-Based Action, Experts Say

Dr. Lizabeth Roemer and Josh Bartok, M.S., present a three-part framework for engaging with uncertainty without habitual constriction. Their approach emphasizes mindful awareness, intentional inquiry, and purposeful behavior—even when outcomes remain unknown.

How uncertainty manifests physically and mentally

Uncertainty triggers distinct physiological and cognitive responses. Individuals may experience stomach tension, shoulder tightness, mental busyness as the mind cycles through possible outcomes, or a sense of withdrawal from engagement. Recognizing these signals—whether in the body or thought patterns—is the first step toward shifting habitual reactions. Once identified, naming the presence of uncertainty explicitly—“Ah yes, uncertainty is here, and reactions are arising”—creates space for a different response.

Replacing certainty-seeking with curiosity

When habitual impulses arise—such as avoidance, worry, or frantic attempts to eliminate ambiguity—the framework invites deliberate curiosity instead. This includes questioning rigid assumptions (“Is danger truly certain?”), observing anxious arousal without judgment, and scanning for additional thoughts or bodily sensations beyond the dominant anxiety. Practicing spacious awareness helps disrupt automatic constriction and supports greater flexibility in uncertain contexts.

Acting in alignment with personal values

Even amid fear or discomfort, individuals retain agency over their actions. The third component centers on choosing behaviors consistent with who they wish to be—not dictated by anxiety-driven predictions. This does not require eliminating uncertainty or suppressing distress; rather, it involves taking one intentional step rooted in personal meaning. Such values-based action may not reduce anxiety directly, but it often contributes to purpose, satisfaction, and improved well-being.

Roemer and Bartok note that uncertainty has always been part of human experience—whether during life transitions like starting school, changing jobs, relocating, experiencing loss, or navigating sociopolitical conditions including climate change, political upheaval, economic strain, and systemic injustice. Psychological research links uncertainty to anxiety and depression, and habitual worry—though sometimes adaptive—can become limiting when applied to unsolvable problems.

Josh Bartok is a contemplative photographer and life coach, and the author of two children’s books. The authors cite Massazza et al.’s 2023 scoping review in the Journal of Mental Health and Orsillo and Roemer’s 2016 workbook Worry Less, Live More: The Mindful Way Through Anxiety Workbook.