Uncertainty causes anxiety as people want to know and to be certain of things. And not being able to stand uncertainty makes you anxious. So when your intolerance of uncertainty triggers anxiety, then you take steps to decrease the uncertainty, such as making lists, planning ahead, overeducating yourself, and overpreparing. However, your attempts to decrease the uncertainty only serve to maintain your intolerance of uncertainty, and thus, the negative cycle of uncertainty continues, as illustrated in the following flowchart:
