The View from a Drawbridge

There is no bigger waste of time and emotion than agonizing about what may or may not happen in the future. It’s pointless, because the anxiety won’t change anything at all about it. All it will do is make the present a lot less pleasant.

Don’t get me wrong. One should most definitely look toward the future and make as many contingency plans to mitigate potential disaster as one can. For example, if you have an examination in your future, you should study for it. But don’t waste your time worrying about how you’ll do on it. Just lay as much groundwork as you can for a positive outcome. Study, study, study.

You should also remain fully aware that all your actions will have future consequences. If you take a rifle and open fire in a crowded building, it’s a safe bet that you’ll wind up, at the very least, in prison. But perhaps rather than worrying about winding up in prison, you should take responsibility for yourself and maybe seek the mental health support that you so desperately need rather than doing the deed.

It is always a good idea is to make choices in the present that won’t negatively impact your future. For example, if you can’t afford to have another child, maybe you ought to take action so as not to get pregnant. This will go a long way toward reducing your need to worry in the future.

When you feel yourself starting to feel stress about something, ask yourself if there’s anything you can do to prevent the situation. If the answer is yes, then do that thing. If the answer is no, then don’t waste your time thinking about it.

I actually think I’m becoming quite good at this, but not because I take my own advice. It’s more a function of getting older and having less energy. I simply can’t be bothered.

See there? No need to worry. There is a plus side to getting old!