Human beings are inveterate planners. The brain’s capacity to construct hypotheticals — to imagine future scenarios and adjust behavior accordingly — is one of the defining traits of our species. But while our ability to anticipate and plan can be an asset, it can also act like a bug in our programming. Uncertainty — either a little or a lot, depending on the person — can hijack our planning machinery and weaponize it against us.

Markham Heid nails why today, in particular, feels so unsettling.

Today Feels Impossible. Here’s How Science Suggests We Cope.