Nothing needs to go wrong in my life for me to start worrying. I do that nevertheless. From worrying about my deadlines to my cat dying, I end up worrying about various self-made assumptions that are totally useless to even think about. And then I realized, I’m not the only one. And that’s not all; according to statistics, 80% of what we worry about never comes true.
When you find yourself worrying about the future too much, you end up looking for easy solutions. This makes things worse as nothing is gained in an instant. Thus, the first thing you should pin-point is the cause of your worrying. Until you identify the source, you won’t be able to come up with ways to solve it.
Many scientific pieces of research have been conducted to understand the nature of worrying and why we humans fall victim to such troublesome thoughts that have no benefits whatsoever. This is why I’ve gathered a few simple methods which will surely help you to stop worrying about the future. So these are the 5 best ways to stop worrying about the future.
5 Best Ways To Stop Worrying About Your Future
1. The Key Is Confidence
Might sound a bit cliché but having confidence has always been a major strength when dealing with your inner demons. In this case, your worries. Worrying makes you halt your other activities and your social life comes to an abrupt stop. But you can fight the odds by wearing that confidence and having will power.
You need to understand that most of your worries are inaccurate and it’s another matter of time until you realize that. But by then, you’ll have wasted most of your time just by worrying. But you can fight against this urge by being more confident.
It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, you should always have a positive mindset and look forward to the future in a poor positive light. Once you do that, you’ll find yourself performing well in various activities. At the end of the day, no matter the environment, your attitude will always matter.
Even if things don’t go as planned, you should always prepare yourself to adapt to the changes and move along accordingly. Having confidence is key when you’re in such a situation.
2. Identify The Triggers
Human beings have evolved and they continue to evolve. Worrying has always been a natural instinct that has been used for protection since the birth of mankind. As great as that sounds, people tend to take it up a notch until they’re unable to handle the mental pressure.
Worrying shouldn’t be classified as a negative emotion but it does tend to bring you further down. But the first step to handle this would be to spot the trigger.
What causes you to worry? A past trauma? Maybe a previous mental breakdown you couldn’t move past from? Is it heartbreak? Family issues? Or the constant fear of the future? All these are valid reasons to worry about. So you need to start by identifying them. Only then can you do something about them.
3. Start Dealing With It Slowly
There’s a small chance that what you’re worrying about may come true. But that percentage is exceedingly small when compared to it not coming true.
Crippling depression is one of the reasons for too much worrying. You should have a clear idea by now as to why worrying about the future will obstruct your well-being. It’s not a case to be taken lightly.
Once you’ve found the source, you need to go head-first and understand its implications in your life. Why are you worried about the said cause? Is there a way to get rid of it? How far can you bear with it until you collapse?
If the thought is of a moderate level, it’ll be easier for you to let go of it. You will have to direct your mind and body to cut ties with the negative emotions so you breathe in the positive ones.
If it’s something that can be dealt with then it’ll be easier for you to get rid of it. Once you understand why it’s bothering you, you can think of ways to manage it or do something about it. If it’s a constant fear of going bankrupt in the future, maybe it’s best to start reducing expenses as fast as possible and saving instead. Small steps like these will get you far ahead.
4. Nurture And Care For Yourself
Always be consistent when it comes to your well-being. Having a positive outlook is just one step to fulfilling your worry-less life. You need to start making gradual changes which will eventually help you to lead a more healthy and energetic life.
And for this, you need to plan out a diet and exercise routine and follow that accordingly. Similarly, be mindful of your surroundings. If something is making you feel uneasy, it’s best to move away from that scene. It may be a person you’ve known for a while or a certain relative who’s doing nothing but making life more difficult for you.
Once you let go of all the bad vibes, you’ll finally be able to relax. It’s important to maintain a healthy mindset if you want to worry less.
So the next time you don’t feel at ease, just move away from the said cause.
Now coming to the diet and exercise; when you find yourself in a truck-load of stress, chances are that you end up binging on junk food. I’ve done that, you’ve done that and I think we’ve all done that at some in our lives.
But the problem is, what you intake has a direct relation to how you feel. And let me be clear; 2 pounds of cheese isn’t going to make either one of us feel better. This is why it’s highly recommended to switch to healthier meals for better health; emotional as well as physical.
When it comes to exercising, it’s typical for one to hit the treadmill at full speed on day-1 and then burn out the following days. Avoid doing that. Your prime focus should be on consistency. Take it nice and easy and follow a daily routine. You’re allowed to have a cheat day but don’t take it abroad. Always meditate and help your body relax to the fullest.
5. Set A Time For Your Worries
No matter how much you try and beat yourself emotionally, you will end up worrying from time to time. And if you continue to force yourself to do the opposite, you’ll always be in excruciating pain. So what’s the alternative? That would be to ‘time’ your worries. And how do we accomplish that you say? Let’s have a look:
Once you set foot on this journey of worrying less, you’ll slowly learn how to cut down on your silly worries about the future. Now the ones you’re left with, you can write them down somewhere. Wait! Don’t go through them just wait. Just write them down and continue to focus on your work. Set about 5-10 minutes aside daily. That’s the time range for you to think about your worries.
Make sure it doesn’t overlap with your work because that way it won’t be of any help. And that time should definitely not be before going to bed. You don’t want to have nightmares now do you?
Once you finally get that time to worry, go through your notes and try to think of ways to make your worries go away. This can be achieved by asking questions. Limiting your worries to a set amount of time will help you to better focus on other things throughout the day.
Why Do I Worry About The Future So Much?
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a term they use for those who tend to worry a bit too much than others. It can be classified as a mental disorder that is curable given adequate amounts of self-care, medication, and as well as counseling.
If you haven’t reached that stage yet, chances are that you can reduce your worries to a minimum in a matter of time.
So why do we tend to worry so much? Especially when it comes to our future. Humans have the ability to think far into the future which most of the other animals are unable to do. By thinking about the future, humans are able to make plans and feel a sense of assurance. Planning things out before-hand will always give you a feeling of security.
But humans normally end up worrying more than they should. And in doing so, they create a lot of stress and anxiety which are unable to combat. But thinking far into the future and feeling uncertain won’t help you to positively plan out your day. It’s normal to be afraid of the future. But you should be afraid of the present first.
By dwelling on the future and not concentrating on what’s going on around you at present will create a barrier between you and your surroundings. We already know that more than 80% of what we worry about has negligible chances of coming true. So it’s only useless for you to keep thinking about something that has almost zero chances of coming true.
What The Bible Says About Worrying About The Future?
The following shows 3 quotes, directly taken from the Bible:
- “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
Matthew 6:25-27
- For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
Jeremiah 29:11-14
- A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Psalm 23:1-6
Why You Shouldn’t Worry About The Future
There are plenty of reasons for you to stop worrying about the future. The reasons might not feel convincing at first but once you understand the harmful implications of too much worrying, you’ll be able to follow the steps above and let go of all your worries.
- There is no way for you to predict the future: No matter how much you worry, you can write it so that none of your predictions will come true. Even if there is even a slight chance, it’s still not worth your suffering.
- Even if you can predict it, you will not be able to control it: If you’re having a hard time managing your work and yourself, how do you think controlling the future will be any easy? It’ll be next to impossible. You can’t inflict so much pain and suffering on yourself just because you don’t know where you’ll be in 10 years. What’s to happen will happen.
- You’ll miss out on opportunities in the meantime: If you’re spending too much of your time worrying about the future, you’ll be missing out on your present. In the blink of an eye, you’ll be all grown up or already in your middle ages. Then you’ll continue the circle by asking how things changed so quickly. They didn’t. You just weren’t there to see it.
- It might not be as bad: I know things can get scary once we all grow old, but they might be as bad as we think. Ever heard of ‘’Things work out in the end’’? In most cases, this is true. You might be in for a wild ride but after you’re done with it, it’ll all be over. You won’t even remember. So what’s the point?
Why Worrying Is A Waste Of Time And Energy
If you’re worried about the future, it won’t hurt to plan things ahead. Whether that’s career plans, having kids, or even worrying about ending up at the old-age-home. It’s alright to make future plans. But harmful if you keep worrying about them. It will drain your energy and keep you unmotivated.
You’ll often find yourself unable to think rationally. Let’s say you have a test 2 days from now. You didn’t study the entire month and now you’re worried about failing the exam. So what do you do? It’s a given that you’ll start worrying. But instead of thinking about it, you’ll have a more positive outcome by actually sitting down to study.
The takeaway from this example is that you can choose to spend an hour worrying about what’s to come but the only way to get positive results would be to do something about it. Now, what are things that you can change? The date of the exam? No. So that leaves us with your own preparation which is the only thing you can control right now. And that’s your best bet.
Having negative thoughts and not being able to think creatively will have devastating effects on your present.
You’ll lose focus and feel interruptions while doing your work. So what good will it do by constantly worrying about the future? You’ll only be robbing yourself of the present.
In Conclusion
Easier said than done, so it’s like that you won’t fully get rid of your worries. What you will be able to do is bring it to a minimum.
And once you have it all figured out, you’ll understand that even if things don’t go out the way you planned, you’ll be okay. So instead of wasting the present to dwell on the future, why don’t you live in the moment instead? It can’t be that bad.
Hope you were able to pick up on some of the points from the 5 best ways to stop worrying about the future mentioned above to curb your worrying. It won’t be easy at first but once you get the hang of it, you will feel great afterward. Thanks for stopping by!
