Avoid predicting the future. Think about it, you don’t have a crystal ball, and there’s no temple near you where prophets whisper to every moment what will happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Don’t do that, stop anticipating things that haven’t happened. however, because there is no greater irrationality than torturing yourself by an invented horizon, created only by an anxiety-driven mental focus.
We know it’s very easy to talk, but almost impossible to control the automatic flow of thoughts. It would be great if, in terms of mental well-being, it was all a matter of self-confidence, and in the blink of an eye. our fingers stop doing what causes us so much suffering.
- Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way.
- And it’s most common to go through times when we feel trapped in a labyrinth of worries and a whirlwind of excessive thoughts.
Psychotherapist Albert Ellis said that people tend to establish self-destructive habits in their lives almost inadvertently, anticipate what will happen and imagine the worst is a habit for many, removing this habit from our mental universe is not easy because we apply it often. “always”.
However, it is possible. We’ll learn more about this
When you realize that you have entered this cycle in which your thoughts only predict the future and what will happen or not, do one very simple thing: take a deep breath and exhale, there is no better way to stay in the present than to become aware of one’s breathing.
You’re made of flesh, bone and a brain that usually works faster than life, yet your body and mind need you here and now, you need to take a deep breath and inject calm into this abdomen where the nerves are on the skin, balance numbing muscles and give peace to the mind where headaches come and go.
Anxious minds have an overactive attention system that stretches and distorts everything. We filter future events through negativism and our entire body is activated to enter alert mode. It’s like expecting a threat; our senses are exalted and the body prepares for what is to come (real or imaginary). Hence muscle aches, discomfort and almost perpetual fatigue.
Predicting the future is an almost devastating form of suffering, but why do we do it?Is that kind of thinking helpful? Of course not.
Real life takes place in the immediate present, but we rarely live in this sphere of time. The human spirit is a tireless acrobat: it jumps from here to there, from the past to the future.
Do you ever start remembering yesterday and focusing on mistakes made, missed opportunities, un grown dreams?A few seconds later, with a quick pirouette, he advances into the future to dance through all sorts of possible scenarios related to what can and cannot happen.
You need to train your mental focus to focus on the present, here and now, however, this reality around us can sometimes be complex, delicate and defined by constant uncertainties.
So what can we do when what we have before us is contaminated by difficulties?The answer is simple: we must give ourselves what we need. These would be the strategies:
Some say we live in a time of distraction; others, in a period of constant concern. In any case, there is something undeniable: tomorrow we are worried.
The obsession with predicting the future is an almost desperate attempt by the mind to control things. If I anticipate what might happen in a few days or months, I can prepare.
However, the problem arises when “I always prepare for the worst. “The anxiety level is back. This is not a good strategy.
To stop predicting the future must certainly be our mantra of mental health, on the contrary, we must propose another approach: transform our present to make tomorrow more enjoyable.
Focus less on what’s going on in your mind and more on what’s going on around you, here and now. This is where opportunities arise, where you need you most. As Mark Twain once said, “I’ve had endless problems, but none of them really happened. “
On many occasions, understanding that our thoughts are wrong will allow us to divert our attention to what is going on in front of us, do we need ourselves right now and must we give ourselves answers to take care, balance and calm, connection?creativity?
The art of controlling thought and attention requires time and willpower; if we succeed, the effects will be therapeutic. We will begin this decisive work today.