The feeling of not knowing where we are heading and what the future holds for us can truly be frightening. We can’t help but wonder whether everything that we have planned ahead will work out. Will we have the money? Will we still be together with our loved ones? Will we be alive to see our sixtieth birthday? There are many questions, but no answers.

Not knowing the future is a part of our life. But for some of us, its unpredictability is a serious problem, causing us to constantly live in worry and fear.

The past is gone, the present is now and the future is unknown. Below are laid out the five tips on how to overcome the fear of future.

1. Recognize what your fear is

The first tip on how to overcome the fear of future is to simply understand what that fear is and why it’s haunting you so much.

A lot of the time, our fears come from our childhood, from when we were very small. Maybe it has something to do with the house that we were brought up in, the stories we were told, the difficult time that we lived in, or any other. And although these fears made sense when we were kids, there really isn’t any good reason for us to keep holding onto them at this age, yet we still do. We stick to many of these fears just because they have become a part of who we are, hiding somewhere in our subconscious mind. Your goal is to figure out whether this fear is one of them, and if it is, to get rid of it once and for all.

On the other hand, you may be afraid of the more typical things, such as losing your job, having too little money to support your family, getting sick, old age, a failed marriage, etc.

You have to make it really clear to yourself that all people have these fears to a certain extent, not just you. Therefore, don’t make a big deal out of it and don’t think that you are all alone here. It’s normal to fear these things, so try not to overexaggerate about them. On the contrary, if you realize that this fear really isn’t unique, yet it’s bothering you so much, just find someone to talk to about it. Go to your wife or husband, relative, friend, or consider even professional counseling.

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By being honest with yourself and understanding what is it really that you fear, you are able to tackle it. If you never take the time to understand your fears, you are never going to find a lasting solution to them.

2. Try not to look far ahead

In order to achieve success in life, many of us create a vision for life. This vision helps us to see where we would like to be in the future and why we do today the things that we do.

Usually, having a vision is greatly beneficial to us. It creates a map of what exactly we need to do in order to get there. But unfortunately, there are times when looking at the distant future is overwhelming and simply scary.

We look, for example, 20 years ahead. We compare the us today to the us in the future, and we become horrified by the amount of work that needs to be done in order to successfully get there. Alternatively, we see how complicated our vision is and we become depressed by the idea that it most-likely isn’t attainable.

Honestly, comparing ourselves today to someone that has 20 years of living to do and experience to gain, will scare the life out of anyone. If you see that you are making this unnecessary comparison, cut it out right now.

Don’t look at point Z while standing at point A. You have points B, C, D, E … to cross before you get to point Z. If you are at point A, you should be focused on how you can get to point B.

If you are overwhelmed by the distant future, learn to take baby steps. Setting daily, weekly and monthly goals, should be your number one priority. By focusing on accomplishing today’s goals, you will avoid thinking of tomorrow’s goals.

In other words, focus on what is important today. Tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. Looking back three years, I also can’t believe that I have changed so much. But I know that it happened only because I have worked for it continuously for the whole three years.

3. What is the worst thing that can happen?

The third tip on how to overcome the fear of future is by coming to terms with it.

In the book “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living“, Dale Carnegie explains that one really effective way to deal with fear and stress is to ask yourself, what is the worst thing that can happen?

A lot of the time, the worst case scenario really isn’t all that bad, at least it isn’t the end of the world. However, if you do feel that your future really is the end of the world, coming to terms with it is the best thing you can do in order to be less afraid.

Coming to terms with the inevitable can do wonders for us, which is why this is something we all should consider. Just ask yourself, what is the worst thing that can happen? Don’t exaggerate. Say it as it is. Most of the time, it isn’t as big of a deal as we make it to be.

4. Try to fix it

The fourth tip on how to overcome the fear of future requires you to take action.

Carnegie also explains that although it’s good to come to terms with the worst case scenario, we then should do everything in our power to change the result to a better one.

For example, I have always been afraid of public speaking to the extent that I couldn’t sleep properly for a few days before giving a presentation. I would need to memorize the whole speech, word by word, in order to make sure I don’t forget to say anything. But even then my voice would tremble, my legs would shake and I would experience fear to the extent that I thought I would pass out. I still wonder how I never actually passed out.

Going into the consulting field, I knew that I would need to make presentations and hold speeches in a professional setting, which is a lot more demanding than presenting at a university.

It was clear that this fear is preventing me from living a normal life. I was constantly afraid, knowing that in the future my job would require me to talk in front of people. As a result of all of this, I decided to work on this fear and make it my strength.

I went to the Meetup website and signed up for a local group of Toastmasters.

The goal of Toastmasters is to improve your public speaking skills, which is exactly what I needed to do.

Today I am by no means perfect in public speaking, but I am constantly improving and at least I don’t fear it more than death.

Therefore, if you are afraid of the future so much, but you understand that there is something you can do about it, then go and do it. By going outside of your comfort zone and taking action on your future, you can weaken your fears until they eventually stop affecting you at all.

5. Watch your body

The last but not least tip on how to overcome the fear of future concerns your temple, the body that you live in.

Our organism is an extremely complicated system that is affected by everything that we do and put inside of our body. As a result, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that our physical health affects our mind, including our ability to cope with stress.

If fear of future has become a serious issue for you, you need to make sure that you are doing everything you can physically in order to improve the situation.

Sleep

First of all, make sure you get enough sleep. If you are one of those people that sleeps four to five hours every day, then that should be the very first thing that you change. Having too much work is not an excuse for not having enough sleep.

When we don’t get enough sleep, our body works incorrectly. We can’t think straight, our memory is not fully functional, it’s difficult to lose weight, we are more prone to stress, etc.

Food

Watch your diet. Don’t eat food that has added chemicals and a lot of fats. These things can affect our mood, and therefore how we perceive our future.

Moreover, if you drink coffee, try to cut down on that too. Caffeine makes some of us overly anxious, which causes us to fear things that we otherwise wouldn’t.

Finally, both tobacco and alcohol play a very negative role in our physical and mental well-being. Those that have experienced hangovers know how painful and scary certain basic things can get.

Exercise

Exercise is an absolute must. By exercising, you are getting rid of toxins and helping yourself release the unnecessary tension piling up in your mind.

I, for example, go to the gym every second day. If I don’t lift heavy weights for more than three days, I begin to feel stressed out and anxious about the more complicated tasks that I must do on a daily basis.

Meditation and yoga

Finally, in case you want to learn how to better relax, I suggest you look into meditation and yoga. Both of these things have tremendously helped me in life and have taught me to be more relaxed about the mistakes that I make and what the future holds for me.

So, hopefully, you enjoyed the five tips on how to overcome the fear of future. If there is something you would like to ask or comment on, you are more than welcome to do so in the comment section below!

Thank you for stopping by and good luck!

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