The Courage To Create The Future Instead Of Predicting It

Better to hold back from predicting the future. Yes, we can think about them. However, we neither have a crystal ball nor is there a deity near us who sits in a temple and could tell us what will happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. So let’s just stop doing that. We will no longer anticipate things that have not yet happened. Because there is no better way to torture yourself than to invent a future that only exists in our head and in which fear is the driving force.

We know it is easy to say, therefore, but almost impossible to achieve – to gain control over the automatic flow of our thoughts. If our mental wellbeing had its way, the whole process would ideally look like this: We snap our fingers and everything that torments us is just gone.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Instead, we often go through phases in which we have the feeling that we can no longer find the exit from a labyrinth, which consists of worries and violent fits of brooding.

Psychotherapist Albert Ellis says in his book entitled “Training the Emotions: How You Stubbornly Refuse to Be Unhappy” that people tend to establish self-destructive habits in their lives without their realizing it.

A common habit we encounter is anticipating what is going to happen. In doing so, we imagine the worst possibilities. It is not so easy to eradicate this habit from our thoughts, because it feels like it has been with us for ages.

However, we can learn to give up making future forecasts. Let’s go into this in more detail below.

We are reshaping the present instead of predicting the future

If we notice that we are caught in a loop of thought and that everything revolves around what will or will not happen, we can easily remedy the situation. We breathe in deeply and then breathe out again. There is no better way to get into the present moment than to become aware of your own breathing.

We are made of flesh, bones and a brain that often works faster than we’d like. But we need our body and our mind in the here and now. It would be good to breathe deeply and to calm the abdomen where the nerve cells are in turmoil. It is important to get into balance so that the muscles relax and the mind becomes calm so that we do not get a headache.

An anxious mind is hyperactive and can cause stress. Then you see things differently than they really are. We may see all future events in a negative light, which can cause our bodies to go into a state of alarm. It’s like waiting for a threat: our senses are sharpened and the body is preparing for what will happen, real or imaginary. The result can be muscle pain, discomfort and permanent fatigue.

Predicting the future can plunge us into devastating abysses. But why are we even doing this? Is there any point in thinking this way? Obviously not – then we’d rather concentrate on the present and give ourselves what we need.

Let’s focus on the present and give ourselves what we need

Real life takes place in the here and now. However, we seldom dwell in the present. The human mind tirelessly turns around: it hops from here to there and from the past into the future.

Often times, people remember the past and focus on mistakes, missed opportunities, or unfulfilled dreams. Seconds later, our mind turns with a quick pirouette into the future and dances through all possible scenarios to wonder what might or might not happen there.

We need to train our mental focus to stay in the present, here and now. However, at times the reality around us can be complex, delicate and characterized by constant uncertainty.

What can we do when what is happening puts obstacles in our way? The answer is simple: we have to give ourselves what we need. There are a few strategies for doing this:

• Let’s not anticipate anything. Instead, let’s just focus on objectively analyzing what is happening and what we need to do in the here and now to feel good.
• Sometimes the immediate reality depends on whether we get into action. If so, we’d better not postpone it. We react, we mobilize, we redesign and we are proactive.
• Occasionally, however, it is advisable not to do anything. We just accept what is happening, embrace the new reality and take care of ourselves. How do we do that? By resting, accepting our feelings, and staying calm.

Let’s stop predicting the future and find the courage to create it

Some people say we live in an era of distraction. Others believe that our time is marked by constant worry. Be that as it may, one thing cannot be denied: we care about tomorrow.

The problem with this is that unfortunately you always prepare for the worst. This level of anxiety creates problems and is not a good strategy.

So for our mental health, our mantra should be that we don’t predict the future. Instead, we recommend a different approach: shaping the present differently so that the future is better.

Let us concentrate less on the films that are going on in our head cinema and more on what is happening around us, in the here and now. At the moment there are possibilities and that’s where we need ourselves most. As Mark Twain once said, “I am an old man and have seen a lot of terrible things, but luckily most of them never happened.”

As we increasingly understand that our thoughts are deceptive, we can turn our attention to what is going on before our eyes. Right now we need each other. We have to do the following: we take care of ourselves, we create islands of calm, we are connected and creative.

It takes time and effort to learn the art of mind control. It is equally important to learn to direct our attention. However, if we can do both, it will feel like we have been undergoing therapy. So let’s start this important task today!