Fear of the future: what do we mean by it?

Psychological Reasons for Fear of the Future

The fear of the future lies in the following psychological causes:

• Anxious Personality Traits in a Person

Some people tend to have a pessimistic and anxious outlook toward the future; they feed their thoughts with pathological fears and false illusions that do not exist at all, basing their judgments and decisions on them. The reason for this may be the traits of an anxious personality or a suspicious (obsessive) personality alike.

• Suffering from Anxiety Disorder Itself

It is important to distinguish between anxiety disorder and anxious personality traits in terms of their effect on a person.

An anxious personality stems from a person’s nature since birth, such as constant hesitation, excessive perfectionism, and so on.

Anxiety disorder, however, results from experiencing a trauma or certain event at some point in life, leading fear to take hold of the heart and anxiety to dominate thoughts and future life circumstances.

• Psychotic Thoughts or Delusions

Psychotic symptoms, such as lack of concentration or imagining things that do not exist in reality, are among the significant causes that trigger feelings of fear about the future.

The person may hold firm and absolute belief in certain negative thoughts and illusions about the future, which are often unfounded ideas that keep them in constant, unjustified fear and anxiety about what lies ahead.

Treating Fear of the Future is Closely Linked to Treating Anxiety

Feelings of anxiety and stress are among the main factors that fuel the fear of the future, so it is necessary to address and control them first, achieving as much balance as possible with these emotions. This can be done by examining and addressing the causes of anxiety itself, which are as follows:

• Health-related causes such as irritable bowel syndrome and thyroid problems; these conditions and others are often accompanied by symptoms that trigger feelings of anxiety. Therefore, these illnesses must be treated first to eliminate and prevent such emotions in the future.
• Other psychological and spiritual causes which can be addressed through meditation or mindfulness sessions by dedicating 10 minutes daily to practicing mindfulness exercises, including steady deep breathing. These have a significant effect in completely eliminating anxiety and fear by increasing focus and training the mind not to dwell on or get lost in thoughts.

Fear of the Future is Just a Thought in Your Mind

At some point, each of us feels fear for ourselves, our hearts, and our loved ones about the future, but excessive fear turns a person into someone miserable and hesitant.

Therefore, you must realize that feelings of fear begin with thoughts in your mind, which are often not based on reality.

To avoid magnifying the idea of fear of the unknown, avoid repeating it to yourself and talking about it all the time. Instead, try repeating some positive phrases to yourself such as “I feel safe and at peace” or “I am someone who loves adventure and trying new things,” and so on.

Over time, and with continuous practice of planting these simple thoughts in your mind, these fears will gradually fade, and you will feel tranquility and peace toward a promising future, approaching it with full confidence and enthusiasm.