Almost every person experiences fear of the future at least once in their life. The degree of such fear always differs. In exceptional cases, it develops into a phobia. A similar phenomenon often occurs among young people who have just begun to establish themselves in this world. This fear can also be regarded as a sign of creeping depression. That is why it is important to know where it came from and how to deal with it.
Futurophobia - what is it?
What is futurophobia? This is an irrational fear of upcoming events, fear of the future. Fear of the future in relationships, work, life. More often, anxiety is activated under the influence of important, positive events, for example, before changing jobs, moving, or the birth of a child. Even if everything goes well, and the changes can be called long-awaited, a person is overcome by the fear of not being able to cope with possible difficulties. The patient is aware of the irrationality of fear, but cannot cope with it. Attempts to ignore anxiety lead to its intensification.
It is important! Fear of the future is a signal of internal disharmony of the individual. It is necessary to understand what problem fear indicates.
Dentophobia
Usually a trip to the doctor is not irritating, but not this one. Many people dread going to the dentist, which is called dental phobia. An interesting fact is that almost every person is afraid of going to the dentist, but not everyone reveals their anxious state.
In modern society, it is known that there are about 300 types of different phobias, which affect over 10 million people around the world.
What are you afraid of?
Manifestations of Fear
A person is afraid of feeling helpless. Futurophobe is afraid of losing security, afraid of change. To reduce anxiety and get rid of the fear of the unknown, people come up with rituals, signs, traditions, and habits. But even at this, the futurophobe is afraid to live; he prefers to go with the flow and lead a passive lifestyle. However, this does not eliminate fear, because even a passive person has a future that is not fully known to him. In addition to psychological symptoms, psychosomatic health deteriorations are observed.
It is important! Futurophobia is associated with the fear of death and the fear of the unknown and change.
Signs of being afraid to live
Signs that you are afraid to live:
- "Groundhog Day";
- boring, joyless existence;
- absence of any events or changes;
- increased anxiety at any sign of novelty (dating, change of activity),
- trying to escape from it.
How the person himself feels and explains it:
- I am in control of life;
- nothing interesting and good happens, but nothing bad happens either;
- I am safe, the risks are minimized;
- my future is determined, it is clear and precise.
The thought that something will happen that a person cannot change provokes a panic attack. Therefore, the individual avoids possible troubles with all his might, that is, he avoids life in all its manifestations. Doesn't meet friends, doesn't leave home, doesn't use public transport, etc.
Distinctive characteristics of those who are afraid of life
People who are afraid to live are devoid of meaning and purpose in life, ambitions, and plans. They are characterized by the following features.
Pessimism
The patient is fixated on shortcomings, obstacles, difficulties. He does not see opportunities, advantages, achievements. In any place he will see only the negative, for example, dirt and garbage instead of the beauty of the sea or evil people instead of secluded corners of nature. A pessimist loves to watch crime news, it reinforces his beliefs that life is full of negativity and the future looks bleak.
Anhedonia
Inability to rejoice, to have pleasure. A person perceives everything as mediocre, for granted. Nothing upsets him, but nothing makes him happy either. To put it simply, he is always and everywhere “no good.”
Catastrophization
Tendency to exaggerate. It started to rain - life was not good. If you spill coffee, your whole day is ruined. Such a person becomes fixated on minor failures and begins to scream. He becomes aggressive and becomes hysterical. The reason for this behavior is lack of self-confidence and a feeling of helplessness.
Fear of Inadequacy
I'm too young, too old, ugly, stupid - this is what a person thinks who avoids life because he is afraid of not meeting someone else's standards. He puts everything off for later or indefinitely, and finds reasons not to do it.
Fear of the future, causes of futurophobia
The reason is memories of negative changes in life. For example, a person is still tormented by the thought of someone’s death, the death of a pet, the illness of a loved one, or the suffering of a disabled person.
What other memories may bother you:
- changes in personal life (divorce, separation, changes in partner’s behavior);
- a move that made life difficult;
- job loss;
- loss of friends;
- Road accidents, disasters, injuries;
- hereditary diseases;
- loss of economic, social, psychological stability;
- illness;
- other.
Suggestible, suspicious, exhausted individuals are susceptible to the influence of the media. In their case, the phobia may develop not against the background of personal experience, but after viewing shocking news, for example, a report about a terrorist attack. Moreover, the pressure may be minimal, but against the background of general exhaustion, this factor will become decisive.
What else are risk factors:
- Adolescence. This is a period of active personality development, self-searching. A person has to answer two questions: “Who am I?” and “What am I?” Uncertainty, fear for the future, fear of the unknown, doubts about choosing a profession, hobbies are normal for this period of personality development.
- Age crises, especially midlife crisis. Each crisis is characterized by a breakdown of the usual system of values and beliefs, analysis of the path traveled, comparison of expectations and reality, and making plans for the future. If at the age of 30–40 a person feels that he has achieved nothing in life, then the future scares him and looks sad in his eyes.
- Psychotrauma. Any negative experience, sudden unpleasant changes. We discussed private options above. Psychological traumas from childhood are especially vividly remembered, for example, a child was constantly subjected to violence and punishment. Or one day he got seriously injured and got sick.
- Psycho-emotional immaturity, infantilism. Self-doubt, fear of responsibility, feeling of helplessness - all these are traits of an infantile personality and elements of futurophobia. Such a person believes that his fate is predetermined and is in the power of higher powers or other people. He is used to shifting responsibility for his life onto other people's shoulders. If there is no such person, then futurophobia develops.
- Conditions of development and education. Some parents intimidate their children, predicting a bad future if they do not obey mom and dad. Other children have to grow up in socially, politically, economically, and psychologically unstable conditions. All this leads to neuroticism of the individual.
It is important! Futurophobia can be an element of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this case, differentiated diagnostics and treatment of the primary disease are needed.
How to overcome fear of future events
To get rid of a phobia, you need to see a psychologist, psychotherapist or psychiatrist. The problem is that patients themselves do not always admit the presence of a problem or do not realize the seriousness of their condition, and some are hampered by stereotypes and prejudiced attitudes towards psychiatrists. Therefore, in the treatment of futurophobia, the support of loved ones, attention, and care is very important. Under these conditions and the desire of the individual, the phobia can be dealt with independently.
Rethinking
How to overcome fear of the future? Use the method of revaluation, rethinking:
- Divide the blank sheet into three columns.
- In the first, write the problem.
- In the second - methods of deliverance.
- The third is what you have already done.
Assess your ability to solve the problem. Do the exercise in a quiet, secluded place. Relax first.
Get out of your comfort zone
Fear of the future is associated with fear of failure. You need to allow yourself to make mistakes and change your attitude towards mistakes. This is experience, opportunities for growth and development. Leaving your comfort zone is always associated with fear and discomfort. It is important to constantly challenge yourself, learn something new, and develop. Each time, self-confidence will be higher, it will be easier to start something new. Think about what you have wanted to do for a long time, but didn’t dare. It's time to take the first step.
The future is already here
In a broad sense, there is no tomorrow, there is no future, there is only the present. Realize this, accept it, and you will always be calm. Learn to live in the present and cope with it.
Be courageous
Realize that fear of the future is caused by negative memories of the past. Think about what lessons you can learn, what is in your control, and what you should just accept.
All in your hands
The past does not determine the future, environment and circumstances do not decide anything. Only the person himself controls his life. Take the position of master of life, learn to hear your needs and desires, and use all opportunities to improve your life.
Problems should be solved as they arise
Try to remember what bothered you a month ago, six months, a year. Don't remember? That's right, most worries never come to fruition. Start keeping a diary, write down all your worries, analyze what you imagined came true and what didn’t. Learn to spend energy not on fantasizing, but on solving problems in the present. There will never be a perfect moment, there will always be difficulties, you need to learn to solve them as they come.
To see the reason means to stop being afraid
It is necessary to know yourself, to understand what fear indicates. You probably cannot live fully, breathe deeply. Untapped potential, living against one’s essence, uncertainty gives rise to fear of the future. Accept your fears, anxieties, stop avoiding them.
I'm afraid of the future, but I want to live
I'm afraid of the future, what should I do, how should I live? I want to live a full life and be happy! Change something for the better, strive for something, plan for the future! However, a person who is afraid of the future sadly realizes that for him these are only dreams and nothing more. His life is one of continuous anxiety, fear and disappointment, from which he himself is not able to get out.
How to stop being afraid of the future, live in the present and not think about the future?
How to stop being afraid of the future? Is it even possible to live in the present and not think about the future? Live and enjoy life, despite what is happening around you?
The past no longer exists, only the memory of it remains, and it’s funny to be afraid of the future, because it also doesn’t exist. For example, no one can know what will be written in the next paragraph, in the third line. And will this line even be written? What can we say about life in general. Only the present remains.
Or is it still possible to determine the further scenario for the development of events so that the future is not frightening and unknown? After all, you want to insure yourself, “lay out straws,” and know what to expect from this or that person. Know what will happen if you do this or that way. But it is possible!
Is everyone afraid of the future?
There are people who live for themselves and do not know grief; they arrange their lives the way they want. And there are those who are truly afraid of the future and are looking wherever possible for an answer to their difficult question - how to live without fear of the future. The answer can be found in the article: “Why am I afraid of the future?”
Live without fear of the future
At the training “System-vector psychology” by Yuri Burlan, people learn to live without fear of the future. They begin to understand themselves more deeply, realize the reasons for their fear, the fear of the future. They begin to understand the peculiarities of the psyche of the people around them: the properties, desires, qualities that they possess. And they fill their lives with joy and happiness because they know how to do it. Thousands of people who have completed the training confirm the enormous changes in their lives and share their impressions and results in their reviews. Here are some of them:
“I lived like everyone else. There was a time when I was strongly connected to what was happening outside, there was strong internal tension, fear of being hurt, I lived in my cocoon and listened carefully before letting anyone close to me. But all this made me unhappy. Strong internal neuroses and fears, internal tension - all this became unbearable.” Diana Nurgalieva, economist
“If someone had told me a year ago that the kind of changes that are happening to me now would happen in my life, I probably would have laughed in this person’s face.” Tatyana Timofeeva, Donetsk
“How joyful it is to become free, free from your fears! It’s not that I was subject to any kind of panic attacks or phobias, no, there were no “acute” conditions, I considered myself a restrained, calm person, always able to control my fear and emotions.” Yulia Oleynik, Donetsk
