Many people look with some concern for the future in order to make better decisions in the present. However, on some occasions, this concern becomes excessive, causing a person who suffers a great discomfort and various consequences in the different areas of their lives. It can reach the point of paralyzing your life completely out of fear of suffering certain consequences or out of desperation to make a decision without knowing how that decision will turn out.
This fear of the future is related to a low tolerance for uncertainty. The fact that there is no economic or social instability makes many people suffer from this fear. That is why every day there are more people with this kind of fear. Therefore, in this Psychology-Online article, we will talk about the fear of the future: symptoms, causes and consequences.
Why am I afraid of the future? In the same way that the symptoms can be divided into three types, the causes of fear of the future could be divided into two large groups:
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Genetics: Having a family history of some type of fear or psychological problem increases the chances of suffering from this type of fear. This is because there is some genetic heritability of psychological problems.
- Atmosphere: the environment in which a person has grown up can influence the development of a phobia or fear, that is, our parents have been able to teach us. This can happen through sending constant messages about fear of the future and uncertainty. On the other hand, if at any time you, your family or someone you know has suffered some time of drastic problem such as the loss of a work, illness or any other type of instability, this can lead to an aversion to the future and the instability.
In this article, we show you how to control negative obsessive thoughts.
The consequences of fear of the uncertain future are closely related to its behavioral symptoms. If I avoid changing jobs or marrying a certain person, for fear of the consequences, I will surely end up living a life in which there is dissatisfaction on the different planes. That is, a stagnation in the person's life and an avoidance of exposure to the feared situation or to moments that may lead to said situation.
In addition, having a constant level of stress can lead, in the long term, physical health problems how is he irritable bowel syndrome or heart problems. Similarly, fear of the future can reach damage social relationships, since living with a constantly worried and stressed person can become a great burden for others. They may make the decision to distance themselves from the person with fear of the future.
Regarding the couple, in addition, if there is that stagnation and no progress in the relationship like buying a house, getting married, having children for fear of what might happen. This can spell the end of the relationship, as the other person may perceive that their vital expectations are not being met.
We can conclude that the consequences of fear of the future are summarized in what is known as "self-fulfilling prophecy." Having some fear can cause we self-sabotage and that we end up making that situation that we fear so much, finally, end up happening. In this article, we tell you more about what is self-sabotage and how to avoid it.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Fear of the future: symptoms, causes and consequences, we recommend that you enter our category of Cognitive psychology.
