Do you often worry about the future?

If so, how does it affect your current emotional state?

How much time do you lose living in the present due to future worrying?

Take a few minutes to reflect on times where you allowed yourself to worry about a situation or event that had not even happened yet. Recognize how it affected your stress level and your quality of living in the present moment.

I decided to use this quote by Rob Liano because it completely resonated with me and it is what I experienced for myself recently. Actually, it was just the other night.

I was lying in bed. I am typically in bed most nights around 10 pm and up the next morning at 5 am.  However, there I was… The time on my phone read 1 am. (Yes, I keep my phone next to my bed. Is it the best idea? No, I know, but we can save that discussion for another time.)

I could not fall asleep.

My mind was racing… and I was completely aware of it.

I was worrying about a situation coming up in the near future, about two weeks away, and there I was, concerned about outcome.

All of my worried thoughts were, of course, negative in nature. I mean who worries about good things, right.

In addition, those thoughts, clearly created by my imagination, were causing me unneeded stress preventing me from getting to sleep.

Have you ever experienced that yourself? It can be pretty draining, would you agree?

The best part was I knew none of it was true. I had no valid reasons justifying the imaginary scenarios that were playing in my head. However, I still allowed them to play out.

Think about how often we do this. What is the cost?

When we worry about the future, whether that is tomorrow, next week, or even further out, it robs us of our present moment. It steals away our now. It causes stress on our body, drains our energy, and prevents us from getting a good night sleep.

So how do we combat this?

First, it is important to be aware of it when it is happening. Recognize and embrace it. I had that covered but what I needed to do next was BREATHE!

Focusing on your breath will bring you in to the present moment and bring your connection back to your body and away from your mind.

After about 10 to 15 minutes of conscious breathing, I was able to calm my thoughts and be still in the present moment.

The best part is you can do this anywhere.

Anytime your thoughts take you to a worried state about some future event, remember, the future is unknown. Worrying will not change that.

Become mindful of your breath and connect with your body to ease your mind.

Now it’s your turn.

How does this quote inspire you?

Tell me about an experience where you allowed yourself to worry about some imaginary outcome in the future. How did it affect your stress level? Do you still find yourself worrying? If so, try mindful breathing to relax your mind.

Contact me or share your thoughts below in the Comments section.

Let’s get the discussion going.

Remember, you are not alone on this journey. Together we can become stronger individuals.

Educate. Engage. Evolve.