Worry is a normal part of life. Worry thoughts are often characterized by questions of “What if?” When we’re worrying, we’re thinking about something that might happen in the future. People worry about all kinds of things all the time. But our worrying about things keeps us focused on the future.

When we’re focused on the future, we can’t focus on the moment. Worrying takes us out of the current moment and prevents us from living in the now. If we’re consumed with worrying about the future, we might miss what’s right in front of us.

Are you tired of worrying about the future? In this article, we’ll teach you how to stop worrying about the future and start living in the now. You’ll learn more about worry, techniques to manage worry, and how to get relief from worrying.

Is it normal to worry?

Worry and anxiety are a normal part of life. Everyone worries from time to time about things like grades in school, work deadlines, money, being late, and more. But worry can become overwhelming. It can impact your sleep, your concentration, and how you feel. Too much worry could indicate that you’re experiencing a mental health concern called generalized anxiety disorder.

Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive worry, multiple worries, and difficulty controlling worry, with worry and anxiety occurring most days for 6 months or more. According to the National Institute of Mental Health generalized anxiety disorder is pretty common, with about 2.7% of adults experiencing it in the last year.

People can worry about all kinds of things. If you worry a lot, you may notice patterns in the things you worry about the most. Common themes in worriers include:

Uncertainty
Something bad happening
Not knowing or the unknown
The future

If you’re concerned about your worrying, therapy can help. A mental health therapist can evaluate if you have generalized anxiety disorder and recommend treatments. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been proven to help with worry and anxiety. A mental health therapist who specializes in CBT can help you learn to manage worry and bring you relief. Learn more about how I use CBT to help people with worry and anxiety here.

Is worry ever a good thing?

Too much worry can be upsetting. And generalized anxiety disorder can cause severe distress. But sometimes a normal amount of worry can actually be helpful. If you’re worried about an upcoming presentation, some worry can motivate you to prepare ahead of time. Or if you’re worried about being late for your flight, worry can help you plan your route and schedule. Worry can sometimes help!

However, even in situations where worry can be helpful, you’re still worrying about the future. Worrying about things like “What if I miss my flight” or “What if I do a bad job on my presentation” is thinking about the future. If you can plan and prepare and then push the worries aside, that’s great. You’ll have the chance to start living in the now.

Stop worrying about the future

Always worrying about the future can be upsetting, frustrating, and distressing. Worry can have an impact on your concentration, focus, sleep, and energy levels. It can even make it hard to function at work or school. Since worry is a normal part of life, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to stop worry altogether. But you can learn how to manage worry. Start to get relief from worrying about the future by trying these techniques.

Journal

Worries often repeat in our heads on a cycle. You may be plagued by “What if?” thoughts the majority of the time. One way to decrease the intensity of the worry is to journal. Writing down your worry thoughts on a piece of paper can help. When we write out our worries, we can get a break from thinking about them on repeat. Worries can seem less likely to come true when we write them on paper and get them out of our heads. Try writing out your worries today.

Relaxation

Practicing relaxation and deep breathing can help calm worries. Stress and anxiety can be a trigger for worrying about the future for some people. According to Harvard, activating the “relaxation response” in our bodies can help calm stress and anxiety. Types of relaxation strategies include

Breathing: Breathing exercises usually involve taking long, slow, deep breaths. This is also known as diaphragmatic or belly breathing.
Guided imagery: Also called visualization, guided imagery involves imagining calming places, experiences, scenes, or scenarios that will produce a sense of calmness in the body.
Meditation: This strategy involves finding a comfortable position (usually siting) and focusing on your breath, with your attention on the present moment.
Progressive relaxation: Also called progressive muscle relaxation, this strategy involves tensing individual muscle groups in your body and then releasing the tension, one at a time.

If you’re worrying about the future is keeping you up at night or interfering with work or school, try these strategies to get some relief. Worry can be persistent and pervasive. Simply telling yourself to stop worrying, doesn’t usually help. So it’s a good idea to try a few different things to see what works for you.

Sometimes worrying too much is hard to manage on your own. If you’ve tried to combat worry on your own and haven’t gotten relief, therapy can help. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been proven to help with worry and anxiety. A mental health therapist who specializes in CBT can help you learn to manage worry and bring you relief. Learn more about how I use CBT for worry and anxiety here.

Living in the now

Practicing mindfulness is one proven way to start living in the now. According to the American Psychological Association, mindfulness is “an awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings.” Mindfulness requires you to be paying attention to what’s happening in the moment.

Research supports mindfulness as a potential solution to different forms of psychological distress like worrying and anxiety. A successful mindfulness practice requires an awareness of the present moment-to-moment experience.

Awareness of the present moment means paying attention to the moment. Living in the now. Being in the moment involves noticing and describing your experiences. Observing what’s happening and describing your experience with all of your senses is a great way to cultivate awareness.

Imagine you’re brushing your teeth in the morning and worrying about getting your kids to school on time. That’s an example of worrying about the future. But if you can shift your focus to the present moment, you can live in the now.

What would that be like? Next time you’re brushing your teeth pay attention to what is happening in the moment. Notice what the toothbrush feels like against your teeth and gums. Pay attention to the minty taste and smell of your toothpaste. Listen to the sounds your toothbrush is making. Try it tonight!

If you’re paying attention in the moment, you can’t be worrying about the future at the same time. You’ll be living in the now.

Summary

When we’re focused on the future, we can’t focus on the moment. Worrying takes us out of the current moment and prevents us from living in the now. If we’re consumed with worrying about the future, we might miss what’s right in front of us.

Worrying about the future is common, and worry is a part of normal life. Sometimes worry can be helpful. But too much worry could be something more serious, like generalized anxiety disorder. Worrying prevents us from living in the now.
We can stop worrying about the future by trying different techniques to manage worry, like journaling and relaxation. If these techniques don’t bring relief from worry, seeking help from a mental health therapist is a good idea.

Practicing mindfulness is one strategy to start living in the now. Mindfulness involves being in the moment and paying attention with all our senses to our current experience. If we’re being mindful, we’ll be living in the now.

If you want to stop worrying about the future and start living in the now, learn more about how I help people in therapy with a combined cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness approach to learning how to manage anxiety and worry. Check out my CBT for Anxiety page or schedule a free 15-minute consultation today.

How to Stop Worrying About the Future (and Start Living in the Now)