Living in the Space of Uncertainty

2026 begins with intensity and momentum.

Uncertainty feels louder than ever, yet it isn’t new. It’s the space humanity has always lived in. Somewhere along the way, uncertainty became something to fear, something to conquer or escape, instead of something to inhabit.

People often describe me as resilient, strong, or tenacious, and they mean it as a compliment. I receive it with gratitude, but I don’t experience myself as stronger than anyone else. What I’ve learned, slowly and imperfectly, is how to live in uncertainty without fighting it. 

I don’t try to map out the next hour, day, or year. I move through life like a movie, present for the current scene, without needing to know how the story ends. (Of course, we all know the ending eventually.)

This way of living didn’t come from willpower. It came from acceptance.

When we embrace uncertainty, we create space to breathe, to observe, to enjoy what is unfolding rather than bracing for what might go wrong. So much anxiety is fueled by imagined futures that never actually arrive. 

When we stop feeding those “what ifs,” our nervous system softens, our energy settles, and life becomes more inhabitable.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has been foundational in shaping this perspective for me. At its core, TCM is rooted in duality, yin and yang, light and dark, stillness and movement, knowing and not knowing. 

Neither side is judged as good or bad; both are necessary, constantly transforming into one another. Uncertainty is not an enemy in this system, it is a natural state of balance. Health is not the absence of challenge, but the ability to adapt and flow within change.

This philosophy taught me not to judge uncertainty, but to listen to it. To see it as information rather than a threat. To trust that clarity emerges in its own time, just as seasons change and the body heals when supported rather than forced.

That belief is the foundation of our integrative clinic, East West Acupuncture in Excelsior, Minnesota. Our work is built on honoring both ancient wisdom and modern medicine, structure and surrender, science and spirit. We don’t aim to eliminate uncertainty from healing; we help patients learn how to live within it with more ease, trust, and resilience.

My faith in God also anchors me here. I don’t know what comes next, and I no longer expend my energy trying to figure it out. I return, again and again, to the moment I’m in. Not perfectly. Not always. But most of the time.

If there’s one invitation I’d offer, it’s this: give uncertainty a chance. Release the need to control what hasn’t happened yet. Allow life to unfold. In that space, you may find peace, calmer energy, and a deeper alignment with faith, however you define it.

Sending you love,

Nikki, Owner & Founder of EastWest Acupuncture

Give us a call or book online to have one of our providers help you incorporate Traditional Chinese Medicine into your life!