AES#85 Why Do We Fear The Future?

Have you ever felt scared to face uncertain tomorrows?

According to HEALTHLINE, the fear of the future is usually caused by these two factors:

• Lack of predictability

Most people are fond of stability and security, the knowledge that you are able to predict what’s going to happen next. If a huge change starts to occur in our lives, we tend to overthink and frustrate over the outcome because it might not be suitable to our expectations.

The key here is to trust that you will be able to get through even the toughest and most uncertain times :)

• Lack of control

This uncertainty or lack of predictability can lead to being anxious about not being in control over a situation. Especially regarding the future, there are so many aspects that are beyond our power. 

You can decrease this fear by shifting your focus towards planning goals within your realm of control. 

There might be certain goals you want to achieve and you might be scared of failure, here are some things that might help put things into perspective and help you reach your goals:

1. Plan SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based) Goals. 

Your short-term actionable goals should be specific, realistic enough that it is achievable, relevant to your long-term goal, and have a time-frame for it's measurement of success or failure.

For example, if your long-term goal is to get into a prestigious state university (PTN), then your short-term goals could be studying two days a week to achieve a score higher than 80 on every practice and placement test. 

1. Don't focus too much on what other people might think, instead focus on your own personal achievements, thank yourself, and keep going. Humans as social creatures are often too concerned about how other people perceive us. It could eventually make you feel inadequate, afraid of the future, and scared to put your goals into action due to fear of what other people might say or think. Instead, you should be mindful of your personal achievements, so you don't lose sight of how much progress you've made and you can keep going!

2. Realize that even failure itself serves as a learning process, there's nothing to be afraid of because you can always try again. It might sound cliche, but there is always a lesson to take from every failure you face. It allows you to find new solutions, evaluate what was going wrong previously, and it makes you tougher in facing life problems. Maybe there's a competition or internship you're interested in joining, or perhaps there is a new skill you'd like to start learning, don't be afraid to go for it! 

And if these fears become too much to handle, you could:

• Talk about it to a loved one, or vent about your fears in the form of writing
• Process your fears and understand what is causing it, from there you can start finding a solution
• Practice grounding exercises (look it up!) to shift your focus 
• Remind yourself (kindly!!) that constantly fearing about something that hasn't happened yet takes the focus away from enjoying the present moment. 
• Consider seeking professional help, like making an appointment with a therapist 

“Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it.” - Judy Blume