Feeling Insecure & Uncertain Can Lead You Down a Bad Road
In Misbelief by Dan Ariely, he attributes much of a person’s fall down a rabbit hole to a sense of feeling uncomfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty. This person then seeks easy, quick answers online and feels a temporary, short-term sense of power and control over their life and the world.
However, this feeling doesn’t last. The person needs to keep this up to maintain the short-term benefit, but the long-term results of falling down rabbit holes will be incredibly negative. This is one reason why conspiracy theories can become incredibly complex. It needs to evolve to hold viewer engagement, which gives continuous short-term benefit to both the espouser and the receiver.
As far as I am aware, I have not fallen down any rabbit holes (lately), but I do feel more tense these days. I am insecure with the uncertainty in the world. I know this is something that I need to work on. I have not yet learned to ride the waves of uncertainty with a smile, I still have balled fists and gritted teeth.
Relieving My Anxiety Through Books
Something that is helping me to get a handle on this feeling is my Book Reading Challenge. I have tasked myself with reading 52 books in 2025 and am documenting the impact doing so has on my life.
I think books have been giving me a sense of context, reassurance, and guidance. Anxiety feels like an endless loop with no answers, and books give a lot of answers.
One of the best ways to soothe anxiety is to give it structure. That prevents your mind from feeling like it needs to constantly generate the answers to your problems itself. It also reminds you that there are smart people out there working on the world’s problems. All of this soothes my anxiety and gives me a greater sense of peace in a turbulent world.
Messy Bun Book Lover
(Originally posted on May 28, 2025)