JITTERS < EXPANSION - what the brain does with uncertainty even when we want the new thing

Lately I’ve been thinking about the strange tension that can happen right before something meaningful.

• A class you signed up for because you genuinely want to grow.

• A trip you were looking forward to.

• A new room full of people you haven’t met yet.An experience you chose — and still feel nervous about.

I’m feeling some of that myself before an upcoming trip...and I also know this feeling from teaching.

Even when I’m excited to teach, even when I care deeply about the work, there is often a moment beforehand where my system gets louder. A little more alert. A little more watchful. A little more activated around the unknowns: the group, the energy in the room, the logistics, the responsibility, the meeting of new people.

I think this is very human.

There is a reason new things can feel disproportionately intense. The brain is not neutral. It has a built-in tendency to pay more attention to possible problems than possible pleasures — what researchers often call a negativity bias.

In simple terms, our brains are more likely to notice what could go wrong than what could go beautifully right.

That does not mean anything is wrong with you.

It means your nervous system is doing what nervous systems do: scanning, anticipating, trying to keep you safe.

This is especially true when uncertainty is involved. Travel, unfamiliar environments, meeting a new teacher, joining a class where you may not know anyone, or learning a technique that challenges your current habits all ask something of the brain. They require flexibility. And the brain does not always greet uncertainty with open arms.

Neuroscience research increasingly links anxiety with how we process uncertainty and try to predict what happens next.

So if you have ever felt nervous before taking a class — especially one that requires travel, vulnerability, focus, or learning in front of other people — that does not necessarily mean you are making the wrong choice.

Sometimes it means you are standing at the edge of expansion.

Feeling free to be imperfect

I think that is important to say.

Because we live in a culture that often interprets discomfort as danger, when sometimes discomfort is simply the sensation of growing beyond what is familiar.

Of course, not all stress is helpful. Too much activation can make it harder to focus, learn, and stay present. But performance science has long suggested that there is a middle zone where some arousal can actually support engagement and performance.

In other words, a certain amount of nerves can be part of being alert, invested, and ready.

I find that reassuring....

Not because I want to glorify anxiety, but because I do not think every flutter of nerves needs to be pathologized.

Sometimes the work is simply noticing what the mind is doing and not making it the whole story.

For me, that can look like remembering a few things:

I can be nervous and still be ready. I can feel uncertainty and still choose what matters to me. I can let my body come with me, even if it needs a little extra reassurance.

And I think this matters in learning spaces too.

✈ When students travel for a class, arrive in a new city, step into a room full of strangers, or begin a modality that challenges their habits, there is often much more happening than “just learning techniques.” There is regulation. Orientation. Social uncertainty. The vulnerability of being seen while learning. The effort of staying open when something feels new.

That is one reason I care so much about the learning environment.

Not because I think I can remove every student’s nerves, but because I believe care matters. Attention matters. Structure matters. A thoughtful environment matters.

When people feel more supported, the nervous system often has more room to settle.

And while I do not think gratitude is a magic trick or a bypass, I do think it can be part of building capacity. Research on positive emotions suggests that they can broaden attention and perspective, and systematic reviews of gratitude practices have found measurable benefits for well-being.

To me, that does not mean “just be positive.”

It means we may have to practice noticing what is also true -

✔️ Yes, I feel nervous....and I am grateful I get to do this.

✔️ Yes, this feels unfamiliar...and I am capable of meeting new experiences.

✔️ Yes, part of me wants certainty...and part of being alive is learning how to stay present without having all of it.

That feels more honest to me than trying to eliminate every uncomfortable feeling before doing something meaningful.

So if you are feeling jittery before a class, a trip, a new training, or a new season of life, I hope you do not immediately assume that means “no.”

It may simply mean your brain is doing its protective job while another part of you is trying to grow.

Both can be true.

And maybe the practice is not becoming fearless.

Maybe it is becoming more able to stay with yourself while something new begins.

If you’ll be joining me in an upcoming class, especially if you’re traveling or stepping into something that feels challenging, please know you are not the only one who feels the edge of newness. I do too. And I hold a lot of respect for what it takes to show up anyway.