We’re Terrible at Predicting the Future, so Why Do We Fear It?

The Future

I can’t think of anything that provokes more fear than events that have not yet come to pass.Worry, obsession, and anxiety are staples of what’s known as Future Tripping.

It’s not our fault, however. Blame our amygdala, or amygdalae because there are two of them, and Wikipedia defines them as such:

“In complex vertebrates, including humans, the amygdalae perform primary roles in the formation and storage of memories associated with emotional events. Research indicates that, during fear conditioning, sensory stimuli reach the basolateral complexes of the amygdalae, particularly the lateral nuclei, where they form associations with memories of the stimuli.”

Ok, so what the hell does that mean?

It means that when an event happens that “triggers” a memory of a harrowing event, such as a deep sense of rejection or abandonment by a parent, the amygdalae essentially hijack our rational brain and put us into immediate fight or flight mode.

This reaction is a survival mechanism of the most primitive variety and is responsible for all kinds of damage if not controlled sufficiently. When people “act crazy” or seemingly out of line compared to what was said or what happened, it’s the amygdalae at work.

Future Tripping

Aside from events that occur at that moment, we’re adept at making things feel immediate by embarking on what I call a negative fantasy. In other words, we imagine a future where things go wrong, we fail, and we’re rejected, thus triggering our amygdalae out of thin air!
Magic! Right?

Maybe, but not the kind of magic we want if we want a happy and fulfilling life.

The Solution

While there are multiple ways of going about this, the quickest way is to ask yourself the following question:

“If I can imagine the worst-case scenario, why can’t I imagine the best?”

Seriously, print that out in large font, put it somewhere you can see it every day, and then start practicing it. Stop imagining a future where things go wrong and start imagining things going right!

You’ve heard the cheesy phrase, “What we believe, we can achieve,” but it’s true. Start manifesting a positive reality by imagining it first. You’ll align your energy in such a way that you’ll attract opportunities and people into your life who can help you get there.

Besides, how good are you at predicting the future? Why put yourself into an unnecessary state of anxiety when you statistically have no idea how things will materialize?

F.E.A.R. stands for False Evidence Appearing Real.

Think about that the next time you’re stressing about the future.

“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.”
— Henry Ford

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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