Fear of the Unknown
- Tavia Rising
- Sep 30
- 5 min read
Updated: Nov 5
Why We Struggle to Trust What We Cannot See
Few things unsettle the human mind more than uncertainty. Whether it’s the outcome of a medical test, the future of a relationship, or the state of a changing world, the unknown presses on us like fog, dense, disorienting, and impossible to predict.
It is no surprise, then, that our culture is experiencing a crisis of trust. Anxiety diagnoses are climbing, political rhetoric thrives on fear, and entire industries profit by promising certainty where none exists. Beneath it all lies a collective discomfort with ambiguity.
The Human Urge for Control
Psychologists have long noted that control is a basic human need. Predictability reassures us that tomorrow will look like today, that the ground won’t shift beneath our feet. But modern life is defined by rapid change: jobs transform overnight, technology outpaces regulation, and climate shifts unsettle what we once thought permanent.
The result? A collective clinging to control. We over-schedule, over-plan, and overthink in the hope of taming chaos. Yet paradoxically, this very clinging intensifies anxiety, leaving us exhausted from trying to manage the unmanageable.
Ambiguity as Threat
Sociologists point out that we live in an “uncertainty society.” From pandemics to economic fluctuations, unpredictability has become a constant. And for many, ambiguity itself feels like danger.
When we can’t see what’s ahead, we often assume the worst. This bias toward catastrophising is a survival instinct wired into the brain, but in modern times, it leaves us spiralling with what ifs that rarely materialise.
Trusting the Fog and not the Fear of the Unknown
Yet history shows us that some of humanity’s greatest shifts have come through walking into the unknown. Civil rights movements, scientific discoveries, artistic revolutions, all began with steps into territory no one had mapped before.
The fog is not the enemy. It is the environment of possibility. Trusting the unknown doesn’t mean denying risk or uncertainty; it means recognising that new paths only appear when we dare to step forward without full visibility.
A Social Shift Toward Surrender
We are beginning to see cultural movements that value surrender over control, mindfulness practices, slow living philosophies, and community-based resilience. These aren’t about passivity; they’re about cultivating the inner strength to move forward even without clear answers.
Trusting the unknown is, at its core, an act of courage. It says: I don’t need to see the whole path to take the next step.
Trusting the Path Ahead
If you’re navigating ambiguity, control, or change in your own life, I’ve created a guided meditation to support you: “Fear of the Unknown: Trusting What You Cannot See.”
In this meditation, you’ll walk a foggy forest path, guided gently by a light that appears at each turn. It’s a practice of surrender, of finding peace even when clarity hasn’t yet arrived.
It closes with an affirmation to carry with you:
“I trust the unknown to reveal my next right step.”
Fear of the Unknown
Fear of the unknown is a natural human response to uncertainty, but it doesn’t have to control us.
When we learn to trust the process rather than demand certainty, we begin to find calm within change and courage within ambiguity.
Why Does the Unknown Feel So Threatening?
Uncertainty triggers a primal survival instinct. Our brains are wired to seek predictability because it helps us feel safe.
When we don’t know what’s coming, whether it’s a medical result, a relationship outcome, or global change, the mind fills the gap with worst-case scenarios.
This instinct once protected us, but in modern life, it often fuels chronic anxiety and overthinking.
What Causes Fear of the Unknown in Modern Life?
Modern life moves faster than our nervous systems can comfortably process.
Jobs evolve overnight, technology disrupts daily routines, and social change challenges what once felt stable. This creates a constant undercurrent of uncertainty, leaving many people over-planning, over-scheduling, and overthinking to maintain a sense of control.
The more we try to predict everything, the more anxious and exhausted we become.
Why Do We Try So Hard to Control the Uncontrollable?
Psychologists describe control as one of humanity’s core needs. Predictability reassures us that life is stable, that tomorrow will resemble today.
However, clinging too tightly to control can backfire. It keeps us in a loop of vigilance, trying to outthink chaos instead of adapting to it.
Ironically, true peace often begins when we release the illusion of total control and begin to trust ourselves in uncertainty.
How Does Ambiguity Affect Our Mental Health?
Living with ambiguity, unclear outcomes or open-ended situations, can feel like standing in fog.
Our brains, wired for certainty, interpret this fog as danger. This leads to catastrophic thinking (“What if it all goes wrong?”), racing thoughts, and physical tension.
Sociologists call this our era’s defining challenge, an “uncertainty society” where unpredictability itself has become a source of chronic stress.
Can the Unknown Also Be an Opportunity?
Yes. History shows that human progress often begins in uncertainty.
Every civil rights movement, scientific breakthrough, or personal transformation has required someone to step forward into the unknown.
The unknown is not the enemy; it’s the environment of creation and possibility.
When we stop resisting it, the fog becomes a teacher instead of a threat.
How Can We Learn to Trust What We Cannot See?
Trust begins with presence.
Instead of trying to predict the entire future, focus on the next right step.
Meditation, mindfulness, and breathwork help retrain the nervous system to tolerate uncertainty, shifting from panic to patience.
By practicing stillness, we learn that safety doesn’t come from knowing every outcome; it comes from knowing we can handle whatever arises.
What Does “Trusting the Fog” Mean Spiritually or Emotionally?
In symbolic terms, the fog represents life’s in-between spaces, the moments when clarity hasn’t yet arrived.
Trusting the fog means surrendering to the unfolding process, allowing life to reveal itself one step at a time.
It’s not passive; it’s a courageous act of faith that says:
“I don’t need to see the whole path to take the next step.”
How Can Meditation Help Ease Fear of the Unknown?
Meditation helps quiet the mind’s constant demand for answers.
Through guided visualisation, breath, and gentle awareness, it allows you to sit in uncertainty without panic.
In “Fear of the Unknown: Trusting What You Cannot See,” you’ll walk a foggy forest path, guided by a gentle light that appears at each turn, a metaphor for trust and surrender in life’s uncertain moments.
Healing Affirmation
“I trust the unknown to reveal my next right step.”
Repeat this affirmation whenever you feel anxious about the future. It anchors you in presence and reminds you that clarity unfolds naturally.
Experience the full meditation
Fear of the Unknown: Trusting What You Cannot See. Guided Meditation
A 20-minute guided journey from Meditation Central, written and voiced by Tavia Rising, helping you release control and find calm in uncertainty.
About the Author
Tavia Rising is the founder of Meditation Central, a trauma-informed meditation teacher and creator of hundreds of guided journeys exploring emotional healing, anxiety relief, and spiritual growth.
Her work blends mindfulness, psychology, and creative visualisation to help listeners reconnect with trust and inner calm.
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