Worrying About the Future Only Stops You from Enjoying Life in the Present

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There’s a reason why I make it a point never to worry until it’s time to worry. What’s going to happen will happen, and I refuse to worry about things that haven’t occurred yet- and may never come to pass.

Too many people worry needlessly, which is why we had the stock market drop and the numerous closings and shortages of necessities back in March 2020 when COVID first hit. Was and is COVID something to be concerned about? Absolutely! But was and is it something to panic over. No.

The COVID crisis is just an example. But even before the crisis, people worried needlessly.

“Oh, my God! My girlfriend is going to leave me!”

“My boss is mad at me! I’m going to get fired!”

“My grandmother is 89 years old! Oh, no! She’s going to die soon!”

“Oh, no! We have a thunderstorm, so a tornado is likely to hit!

“I’m afraid to drive a car because I could have an accident and die!”

“My kid is not studying! He’s going to make bad grades!”

“Oh, no! China is mad at us and is likely to invade us!”

There’s nothing wrong with being concerned over something if there’s a threat. But to freak out over it as if it’s going to end the world doesn’t help matters any.

No one is saying that you should put on rose-colored glasses and pretend that everything’s peachy king because to go to the opposite extreme is just as dangerous. But never should we run out and buy a five-year supply of toilet paper. There’s a middle ground that we should stay in.

Studies show that over half the things we incessantly worry about never end up coming true. So, again. Should we worry excessively?

Understand that excessive worry only stops us from being able to think clearly and blocks our ability to make good choices and decisions. If we’re too worried, we’re more likely to make the wrong decisions to try and contain a perceived threat. Also, it lessens our capacity to focus on real problems.

But if we lessen our worry, we’re more likely to come up with better solutions to our problems.

And the best part is, if we train ourselves not to worry excessively, we’ll have more happiness and peace of mind.

So relax. Live in the moment and be present in it.  Enjoy the good times while they’re here.

0 thoughts on “Worrying About the Future Only Stops You from Enjoying Life in the Present

  1. Vartika says:

    I seriously love this post, specially lines, (1) ” If we’re too worried, we’re more likely to make the wrong decisions to try and contain a perceived threat. Also, it lessens our capacity to focus on real problems.”(2) if we train ourselves not to worry excessively, we’ll have more happiness and peace of mind… I want to add something.. Time is also an important factor.. To execute certain things, sometimes we need to wait for correct timing else things can get worse

  2. 80smetalman says:

    Thank you Cherie! This post couldn’t have come at a better time for me. I am a chronic worrier, although it is something which affects many with Asperger’s Syndrome, I do find myself worrying about things which will probably never happen. Yesterday, when trying to get into my car at our McDonald’s, I dropped one of the milkshakes and swore as a result. Some man told me to watch my language, which is fair because he had a child with him and I shouldn’t have sworn. Now I have this paranoid fear that when I go to a substitute teaching assignment on Wednesday, this man is going to be there with his child and will recognize me and go to the school to have me banned. I hope the odds of that happening are remote but it doesn’t stop the worry.

    • cheriewhite says:

      I can certainly understand that, Michael. I’ll pray that doesn’t happen. However, know that what you did, anybody could’ve done. So, try not to worry until it happens. Then just say, “anybody could’ve done that. Teachers are human too.” Heck, I’ve dropped things before and uttered a “shit!” even have accidentally uttered the F bomb when I was younger. It happens. Chances are, you’ll be okay. Sending lots of warm thoughts your way.

  3. Mayank says:

    There was a highly respected school teacher back in my school days. Whenever he saw a worried student, he used to ask him, “Hey champ, do you think you can solve the problem you are worried about?”. If the answer is positive, he would ask the student to stop worrying and get solving. If the answer is negative, he would ask the student to stop worrying as there is nothing he could do about the problem. In either of the case, he asked him to stop worrying!
    I am sure my school teacher would be happy to read your post 😃
    Thanks for the wonderful words of wisdom

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