Intolerance of Uncertainty in GAD Worksheet

Intolerance of Uncertainty in very simple terms is a persistent fear of the unknown. People with an Intolerance of uncertainty engage in particular behaviors meant to completely eliminate uncertainty in situations or entirely avoid such situations altogether. It puts them at a higher risk for developing a condition called Generalised Anxiety Disorder, which is characterized by persistent feelings of anxiety and worry about anything and everything.

Following are some behaviors that people with an intolerance of Uncertainty frequently engage in. If any of these seem too familiar it's never too late to seek the right kind of help.

Seeking reassurance from other people for every decision they make
Excessive list-making behaviour: such as to-do lists or any kind of lists that make them feel they have the day entirely planned out and in their control
Double checking behaviour: This would include all behaviours that you engage in to make certain of things over and over again. For example repeatedly calling someone to enquire or their health or rechecking your work several times to make sure there is no mistake
Adamant on doing tasks yourself thinking you are the only one who can. Refusal to delegate tasks to others
Procrastinating or avoiding certain anxiety-provoking work, situations, people etc just so that you don't have to feel uncertain about how it goes
Making efforts to always be busy in things so as to distract yourself from thoughts about uncertainty
Mention any other notable details that could indicate an intolerance of uncertainty

References

Anxiety Canada. (n.d.). How to Tolerate Uncertainty. Retrieved 31 May 2023 from https://www.anxietycanada.com/sites/default/files/ToleratingUncertainty.pdf

Hebert, E. A., & Dugas, M. J. (2019). Behavioral experiments for intolerance of uncertainty: challenging the unknown in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 26(2), 421-436.

You can download more Mental Health worksheets here.

Please note: There may be a more up-to-date and editable version of this worksheet available here which may be more suitable to present to clients if you are a therapist or to use in a classroom as a teacher or guidance counsellor.