Overcoming fear of the future: 10 tips

In life, you are always moving forward even though sometimes you would prefer to stand still. This can give you anxiety about the future. Sometimes things happen very quickly, like after changing jobs you also have to move and explore your new surroundings completely. Sometimes changes also happen when you didn't see it coming at all, such as losing a job or a loved one. This sometimes makes the future very uncertain and that can be anxious.

To make sure you look positively toward the future again, in this blog I will discuss fear of the future and what you can do about it.

Fear of the future is a complaint that many people suffer from. Fear of the future, for example, is very common if you suffer from a terminal illness. It is a fear that is common among cancer patients, for example.

Fortunately, research also shows that if your stress from the illness is reduced after you are declared cured the anxiety can then reduce as well. In the case of a serious illness, the fear of the future is also often the fear that the illness will return.

So to enjoy themselves again, it is especially important for (former) patients to reduce stress as much as possible.

Tips to reduce stress:

Tip #1: Meditate daily

By meditating for at least 10 minutes daily, you can already significantly reduce the amount of stress hormones in your body. This allows you to concentrate better and also makes you happier.

Tip 2: Take up yoga

Yoga is a moving form of meditation. Multiple studies show that yoga is relaxing. You can sign up for a yoga class near you or make do with videos from the Internet, such as on YouTube. Just make sure you respect your body and don't hurt yourself.

Tip 3: Mindfulness

Anxiety and stress is mainly caused by thoughts that are not in the here and now. Especially with anxiety about the future, you can often be distracted by thoughts about an uncertain future. With mindfulness , you can ensure that your attention and thoughts do stay in the here and now.

Multiple studies also show that mindfulness can have a significant effect on stress(1).

Afraid of life

You can then truly fear life for a while. What will your life look like in the future, and how long will that future actually last?

Another fear of life may also have to do with getting older and entering a new phase of life each time. Such a new phase, such as actually having to find a job (and "as it should be" a partner) can make you anxious.

Will I find a job that suits me?
Won't I get overworked doing this work for years on end?
Is he/she also the right person for me when the crush is over and it has to be love?

Tips to reduce anxiety for life:

Tip 4: Identify which beliefs make you anxious

Beliefs are very important to your worldview and your perception of the world. For example, one person considers an expensive car very important because of the beliefs he/she has about radiating wealth while another person considers it unimportant because of his/her beliefs about what is important to radiate.

These types of beliefs also affect fears you may have.

Fear of the future may have been created by some beliefs.

It is important to identify these types of beliefs. A therapist or coach can do this, for example, by conducting a socratic questioning session with you. This technique can also be used by a hypnotherapist.

In addition, a hypnotherapist can also help you through regression therapy. This form of therapy can help you explain why you have some beliefs.

Tip 5: Use self-hypnosis

If you have been helped by a hypnotherapist, you can support the results and changing those beliefs with self-hypnosis. There are several things you can do with self-hypnosis, such as repeating hypnotic suggestions or visualizing a desired outcome.

For example, if you have anxiety about a new phase of life, such as retiring. Can you visualize all the fun things about retiring. Like sleeping in. Having time to explore hobbies and develop sides of yourself that you didn't have time for because of work. You can visualize what this looks and feels like and what (joyful) emotions you expect in the process.

Tip 6: Mindfulness

Applying mindfulness can also help you stop thoughts that only make you more afraid more quickly. When you are afraid of life, one thought can quickly lead to another. With mindfulness, you can place yourself in the here and now for a moment. You can do this as early as a quick body scan. In the end, you are not living in the future, you are living now and you have already succeeded.

Fear of getting sick

Fear of life and the future naturally includes fear of getting sick. As you get older that chance naturally increases, fortunately there are things you can do to reduce the fear and chance.

Tip 7: Healthy eating

Eating enough fruits and vegetables daily is important for vitamin and mineral absorption. Fish and nuts are also important foods for minerals such as magnesium or for omega 3 fatty acids, for example. These kinds of substances are important for a healthy body.

In the process, omega 3 and magnesium also helps reduce stress and improve brain function. This allows you to focus better, which causes you to think in solutions rather than problems faster. This also eases fears about the future, such as illness.

Research also shows that for mild symptoms, a healthy diet can be used against anxiety and depression(2).

Tip 8: Mindfulness walking

Another way to have less anxiety and do something about your health is to apply mindfulness walking. By walking, or any other form of exercise, you can ensure that you live a healthier life. By doing this with mindfulness, you can really enjoy the movement and realize what your body is capable of.

For example, you feel the steps you take. The muscles in your legs, buttocks, abdomen and back that you need to walk and to stay upright. Actually, it's very special that we do this. We are about the only animal species, insofar as we want to think of ourselves as animals, that uses this form of walking.

Fear of being forgotten

Another fear with aging is the fear of being forgotten. The fear that your children are so busy that they forget how important it is to keep family ties strong. Or you stop working and are afraid that people will not remember the important steps you have taken for the future of the company, or perhaps even society.

The fear of being forgotten is also a bit about the fear of being ignored. So it's not always a fear of the future, but it can relate to that in some cases.

There are a few factors that increase the chances of getting this anxiety, namely disorders such as compulsive disorder, borderline and people who suffer from narcissism can also suffer from it.

Tip for less fear of being forgotten

Tip 9: Find out where the fear is coming from

The cause of this anxiety may be in the past. For example, if you have had a parent who was absent a lot, this can make the fear of being forgotten stronger. By identifying the cause, you can determine if that cause still matters in your current life. With that knowledge, you can determine if the fear at the moment is rational or a true phobia that doesn't make sense.

Tip 10: Seek help

If you suffer greatly from the fear of being forgotten, a hypnotherapist can use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you get rid of that fear and deal with it in a healthy way. One way to do this is by confronting you with that fear under hypnosis, which can enhance the effects of CBT.

Research also shows that hypnotherapy reduces anxiety 84% of the time and works best when combined with other techniques (such as CBT)(3)

Then you can get tools to reduce anxiety and become less panicked by it.

In addition, you can also be helped with neuro linguistic programming. This is a technique in which a psychologist or hypnotherapist can "reprogram" your thoughts that trigger many of your fears.

Want to learn more about mental techniques to reduce fears of the future and enjoy yourself more? Then come to the free online master class on hypnosis. You can also check out the training courses offered by the Hypnosis Institute Netherlands.

Also pin this handy infographic as a reminder:

Fear of the future

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