In times of uncertainty like these, it is normal to have some doubts or concerns about the immediate or long-term future that lies ahead. The important thing is that these fears do not paralyze us or make us enter into a dynamic of self-sabotage, of harming ourselves without realizing it.
And the fact is that some people currently have a more or less exacerbated fear of their future, something that causes them great discomfort and that on many occasions keeps them in a state of not daring to make important decisions, to live day to day. passively, something that prevents them from achieving their goals and, in general, enjoying emotional well-being. Therefore, in this article we will give a review of the keys to avoid fear of the future or at least, not let it become a constant problem.
There are many fears that can overwhelm us throughout our lives, from the fear of losing our job, fear about the situation of our romantic relationship or fear of economic crises. All of these cases involve focusing our attention on hypotheses about what we believe the future holds for us; Sometimes, faced with the impossibility of knowing exactly what will happen, we tend to obsess over the most pessimistic predictions.
Fear can sometimes be a good ally that allows us to avoid conflictive or dangerous situations, however, when it dominates our life and prevents us from moving forward or prospering positively, it becomes a major problem that must be addressed.
With the aim of learning to correctly manage this fear of the future and acquiring a series of practical strategies and tools that allow us to live our lives fully and without fear of what may happen, below we will see a series of effective tips and practices that we can apply on a daily basis in this sense.
1. Set short-term goals
Some long-term goals can end up generating frustration in many people due to the time it takes to achieve them, which in turn also ends up causing uncertainty and discomfort about the future.
To overcome this feeling of uncertainty it is highly recommended set short-term goals on a weekly, monthly or even daily level to know at all times what specific objective we should focus on at a given moment.
These short-term goals are more accessible and the fact of achieving them in a short time helps us have a greater sense of well-being and satisfaction with a job well done, even if they are small achievements.
Each of these small daily achievements, added together, will allow us to become aware of the progress we are making, which will have a positive impact on our mental and emotional health.
2. Avoid trying to block fear-based thoughts
Trying to block thoughts based on fear is counterproductive: in addition to being ineffective, this will achieve the opposite effect, by being more “defensive” towards those ideas and mental images.
On the contrary, it is necessary to analyze one’s own thoughts rationally and be clear at all times that these are the product of the fear we have of the future that appears in our lives; We must accept that we do not have total control over what goes through our heads, and also accept a certain level of discomfort as something natural without giving it more importance than it has, so as not to frustrate us.
To successfully overcome these types of thoughts, it is advisable to redirect our attention towards more constructive and stimulating activities that make us feel better and allow us to stay active and motivated.
This means that we can, for example, carry out pleasant activities that motivate us, such as playing sports, reading, meeting friends, participating in sports competitions or any type of hobby that keeps us busy.
3. Practice relaxation techniques
Practicing daily or weekly various relaxation techniques that may be useful will help us achieve states of consciousness and at a physical level. much more balanced and calm in our daily lives.
These states of relaxation will allow us to carry out with greater efficiency and diligence all the personal or professional activities and responsibilities that we must take care of each day or in each work week.
There are many relaxation techniques that we currently have available to overcome all types of discomfort or fear of the recent or long-term future. It is up to us to perform those that best suit us and best adapt to our particular needs.
Among the main relaxation techniques that we can practice in our daily lives we find meditation, diaphragmatic breathing Jacobson’s progressive muscle relaxation, or tai chi.
4. Learn to detect irrational worries
Many people worried about their future end up developing thoughts about themselves or irrational worries about catastrophic events that will happen in the future.
To overcome these types of concerns that are not based on any real and plausible fact, it is necessary to learn to detect them, analyze them and judge rationally what possibilities exist of them happening.
A good exercise to discard these types of irrational worries is to analyze them in retrospect and see that many of the things we thought were going to happen have not actually happened.
5. Maintain an active social life
Another piece of advice that we can follow to overcome fear of the future is to maintain an active social life on a daily basis.
This will help us keep our minds distracted and allow us to be with people who make us feel better and who help us improve our mental health, our self-esteem and who bring out the best in ourselves.
Besides that, interact with other people too It can help us not always think the same way or fall into confirmation bias since by having more points of view different from our own and with different ways of interpreting reality, we can question our personal approaches about the future and life in general.
6. Go to the psychologist
Going to a psychologist is also one of the best pieces of advice we can follow to overcome the fear of the future ahead of us, and a highly recommended practice whenever the aforementioned advice does not work.
A psychology professional specialized in anxiety problems It will help us change the way we conceive our lives, as well as the past and the future in a much more positive way.
In addition to that, psychologists are also experts in providing and teaching all kinds of useful and practical strategies that can help us overcome any fear we may have in our daily lives.
