When I am anxious it is because I am living in the future. When I am depressed it is because I am living in the past. ~Author Unknown
When someone says, “I just can’t stop thinking about the future,” my first response is to ask what thoughts they are having about the future. Not once have I ever heard the answer to that question begin with the words, “I’m just so excited,” or “I am so happy because I keep thinking…” What I hear is, “I keep wondering if I am going to find a job when I graduate,” or “What am I going to do if I can’t pay my bills?” You get the drift already. Thinking about the future usually means worrying about the future and it is one of the guaranteed ways to invite anxiety, stress and unhappiness into your life. SEO Jobs
I come from a long line of worriers who were always future oriented; meaning they were always thinking about what might or could go wrong. Because we are susceptible to playing out the behavior we saw modeled, their lives have served as a cautionary example for me to guard against following in their footsteps.
I am reminded of my grandmother who could probably have won an award for being the most anxious woman on the planet. In many ways she was a remarkable woman and one who I always felt loved me unreservedly. The sad fact is that although she lived a long life into her nineties, I don’t remember ever seeing her laugh. She was constantly worrying about what calamity might befall those she loved, especially me. When I was very young and would go on walks with her, she would caution: “Don’t run. You might fall and get hurt.” As I grew older, the potential for more dangerous situations haunted her waking hours. What if I got hit by a car, got sick, was raped, held up and robbed? If I didn’t answer my phone when she called a thousand dreadful thoughts raced through her mind about what could be wrong. I am happy to report that not even one of the things she thought (worried) about ever happened. The sad part is that much of her life, if not all, was spent without peace, happiness or contentment because her mind was always focused on the future and what might or could happen.
When we are constantly thinking about the future that’s where we are living. Living in the future is not a place of peace and contentment because it lacks a foundation in reality. The future is unknown. It cannot be known despite the claims of fortune tellers, palm readers, horoscope writers and psychics who bilk gullible and insecure people out of millions of dollars every year.
Just as there are many people who can’t stop thinking about the future, there are those who can’t stop thinking about the past. Their thoughts are focused on “What if I hadn’t quit my job, divorced my wife, broken up with my boyfriend, moved to another town, etc.” Suppose that you could turn back the clock and undo all those things. You would still have no way of knowing what the future would have been. Not making the decisions you did does not guarantee things would have continued as they were because the only thing certain about life is that it is uncertain.
When we learn to embrace uncertainty and live in the present moment we will spare ourselves anxiety from worry about the future and depression from regret over the past.And, we will discover that our lives are much more peaceful and we are much happier.
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________*التــَّـوْقـْـيـعُ*_________
لا أحد يظن أن العظماء تعساء إلا العظماء أنفسهم. إدوارد ينج: شاعر إنجليزي
اليوم في 5:05 pm من طرف apprenant
