Uncertainty is all around us. Layoffs loom; recession is possible. Will bird flu spread? Is your cough just a cold or something worse?

Uncertainty can leave you worried, scared, and angry. And that’s natural. It’s also stressful, but experts say you can learn to deal with all the what-ifs and reduce that stress. Fear of the unknown underlies anxiety, psychologists say. Our brain views uncertainty as danger since there’s no way to know what’s coming up. “Our ancestors needed to be cautious about being in unpredictable situations in order to stay safe,” said Jacqueline K. Gollan, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “But in today’s world, this response can be overwhelming as we face all types of uncertainty.”

Gollan tells anxious patients: “The anxiety response isn’t a sign of something wrong with you. It’s actually your brain acting like it’s supposed to.” The key, she said, is “learning to work with the natural responses rather than fighting them.’’

We can’t eliminate uncertainty, but we can build our capacity to deal with it. Thea Gallagher, PsyD, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, calls it “building that muscle of tolerating uncertainty.” Some people can tolerate uncertainty better than others, Gollan said. Mental health providers have a scale to measure that.

According to some research, the more uncertainty you’re faced with, the higher the stress. In one often-quoted study, participants who were told they had a 50% chance of getting an electric shock were the most stressed, while those who were told they had either a zero chance or a 100% chance were the least stressed.

In a similar study, other researchers found participants who scored highest on the intolerance of uncertainty scale had worse pain intensity scores when given a shock. Gallagher has observed two unhelpful reactions from patients who aren’t tolerant of uncertainty: Some avoid situations where there is uncertainty; others become hypervigilant.

A parent concerned about the possibility of a school shooting, for instance, might seek certainty that it won’t happen at her child’s school. One approach would be to pull the child out of school and home-school. Another would be to be hypervigilant, asking about protocols and trying to control the possibility — which isn’t entirely possible. “We want some predictability and control,” Gallagher said. “We are trying to make meaning of our world. But that’s not how a lot of life works.”