The today’s world is so unpredictable that worrying about future became a common issue. However, excessive worry can be counterproductive and negatively affect our mental health. Dive in to find out practical tips to reduce your worries about future and focus on the present moment.
Find out why you worry about future
- Identify what aspect of the future causes anxiety. Do you worry about your health, relationships, career, or financial stability?
- Reflect on your beliefs and assumptions that might be causing anticipatory anxiety. If you have fear of failure, click here to find out how to overcome it.
- Your worries about future can be related to past traumas. Reflect on your past experiences and identify your fear.
- High stress levels can cause worries about future. Consider if your job, relationships, or other areas of your life are stressing you.
Limit exposure to news or social media
- News and social media often spotlights negative events which can increase your anxiety.
- Social media exposure leads to comparison with others, which can make you feel like you are not progressing enough, or that your life doesn’t correspond to certain standards. Try to perceive social media the same as you perceive a movie, realise that the content you watch has a script behind, and the most people that you see are fictional characters.
Question your negative thoughts
- When you worry about future, ask yourself if your worries are based on facts or assumptions? Most of the time our worries are based on assumptions, try to consider a positive outcome, don’t let yourself accept only failure.
- Keep in mind that our brain can get addicted to thoughts the same as it can get addicted to nicotine or alcohol. Therefore, most of the time when you get a negative thought, it does’t mean that it will or can happen, it’s just a habit to think this way. Force yourself to think positive!
Stay present
- Being present can enrich your personal and professional life by improving your wellbeing, learning abilities, and productivity.
- Think about what can you do here and now, that will benefit your future. If you worry about your health in the future, start eating healthy and engage in physical activity, if you worry about your career, start improving your skills, and if you worry about your relationships, spend this time with your loved ones.
- Click here to read our article about how to be present.
