What to Do When the Future Feels Hopeless
Curated from: theatlantic.com
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Living in the future
We spend 30 to 50 percent or our self-generated thoughts (what we think about without trying to concentrate) thinking about the distant future. We feel happy to think of our future as full of possibilities for improvement, and that we have some control realizing those possibilities.
In contrast, pessimism and low personal control over our circumstances are a good mix for misery. The pandemic has infected our general outlook. People feel pessimistic about their personal future right now and feel a sense of powerlessness and negativity.
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Improving our ability to cope
While there's little we can do to change the realities of a global crisis we can change the mindset we use to face them.
- Channel your inner lawyer. Verbalize the negative assumptions you make about the future, then dispute them with realistic facts, not mindless optimism.
- Turn constraints into decisions. Examine every problem by listing the apparent limitations on your freedom and then considering how you can change them. For example, if you feel a dip in your productivity because of the lockdowns, change the definition of productivity.
The healthiest way to look at a difficult period in our lives is as an opportunity for improvement and personal growth.
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