Thoughts of Future’s Past
OMG what is going to happen tomorrow? How am I going to pay my rent next month? How am I going to feed my children tomorrow? When is he going to call? If you have experienced these thoughts, we would like to help you identify what you are doing. It is called “future thinking.” Future thinking is when you experience intense emotions over what will happen in the future. These thoughts have a way of hindering you because you are dwelling on things you cannot control. The inability to control situations are contributing factors to diagnoses, such as depression and anxiety. The anxiety comes from fearfulness about the unknown, and depression comes from having thoughts about things never changing. This does not allow you to live in the present. Somehow you have become fixated on the future and it becomes bothersome to your family. You have become the person in the family that is constantly thinking about the negative outcome of what is going to happen next.
However, when you dwell on thoughts that you can control, you are able to set goals that are accomplishable. Now this is also considered to be future thinking, also known as planning and strategizing. Planning and strategizing is what we are taught during high school years when thinking about college. Another example of positive future thinking, is planning a wedding. Although for everyone else, the bride seems to be in a panic, she has steps for each part of the celebration. When you are able to set specific goals, it helps boost your confidence. However, there are those individuals that don’t get stuck in the future, they get stuck in the past.
When a person is stuck in the past it is called “rear view mirror thinking.” Imagine when you are driving if you continue to look in your rear view mirror you are unable to see what is in your present and future. This can keep you from progressing toward your future in a positive way. Looking to our past can be temporarily helpful to prevent making the same mistakes. However, if you live in the past you are likely to repeat past mistakes. Worrying about the future and looking to the past are helpful in moderation, but in excess can prevent you from achieving your goals.
