The idea of the "future" is destructive.
Events that haven't happened and maybe those that won't, take up so much mind-space that it's overwhelming.
How come it's so hard to think in the now, the present and be happy with the situation. We may even tend to assume that the future is all there is and our actions now won't impact it. It's so easy to just cut great things out of your life because you anticipate that things may go south.
The problem is when we anticipate that things will go south, the present goes south and you don't get to the future, getting caught up in your current ongoing thoughts.
Just stop thinking about what will and may happen and focus on the present- easier said than done.
As soon as one thought clouds you from being satisfied and happy now, it gets stuck, messing with you, raining down on your happy thoughts.
Lawrence R. Samuel Ph.D. states:
The future has served as an opportunity to both vent our worst fears and air our greatest hopes
It's almost as if our worst anxieties decide to come true in our future. Or, our mind's future.
I think a lot about how things would be different if I had just taken a breath, lived in the now, and let myself continue with how things were going, not ruining situations for myself.
As kids, we tended to talk about growing up, watching pg-13 movies, hanging out with friends, learning to drive.
Now, some days make me wish like I could feel 10 years old again, with my biggest concern being the fact that my mom told me I couldn't put sugar in my tea. Back to the days when I didn't know the cruelness of the world or the complexity of society.
Now, we think about how exciting it will be to go to college, start living on our own, graduate, start a family, etc.
But when I grow up what will I miss? Will I miss my friends? Close bonds? Thrilling teenage relationships? The excitement of finally receiving parents' trust?
That being said, why are we letting the future control our now? We might be missing so much and we just need to LIVE IT and thrive where we are.
I guess my middle school self knew what she was doing when referencing cheesy Instagram captions like "YOLO" and "Live in the now"...
As always,
Stay Happy
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