Whether we hope to avoid unfavorable circumstances or daydream of a deep desire being fulfilled, we have all allow our minds to slip into future tripping at some point or another. But what if I told you that letting your head get out into the future too much, could actually be detrimental to being able to enjoy life?
We all want to feel safe and avoid experiencing hurt, and we all want to experience the sweeter joys in life. But sometimes, anxiety gets us all tied in knots, with the “what if’s…”
- What if I can’t find a job?
- What if I get let go?
- What if I get sick again?
- What if I am never able to afford that standard of living?
- What if we get stuck in debt?
- What if I never get married?
- What if we get divorced?
- What If I never have kids?
- What if something happens to my parents or my spouse or my children?
- What if I end up lonely and alone?
Before we realize it, we can find ourselves crippled by fear. We avoid difficult conversations, believing that it will ruin the relationship. We push aside dreams, certain the shame of failure is looming inevitably around the corner. We may even drift into denial or delusion to shield ourselves from the pain of an imaginary outcomes.
To a degree, anticipating crises and taking measures to preserve personal stability is healthy, as is likewise having ambitions to motivate you onward in life. However, if you find yourself incessantly scanning for signs of personal upheaval, putting areas of your life on hold until hope comes to fruition, or prematurely grieving a dream yet to culminate into reality, then future tripping may be starving you of enjoying and living in the reality of the present. After all, we can’t control the future, even if we think we know what is coming down the pipe. Letting our mind wander down the fantasy lane can quickly become an obstacle knocking us off our feet.
Coming later this month:
Part 2. The Dilemma of Past Tripping & Part 3. Simple Tools for Staying in Today
