Being in the present.

I regret a lot of things in life. Being too shy to ask that person out. Not asking for a raise. I wish I learned how to code faster or studied harder in school. In life we tend to regret the past and think about the decisions we could make to improve where we are today.

Anxiety

I get anxious about what’s going to happen next. Will I lose my job? How long will this pandemic last? How am I going to afford my mortgage? Do I need to get married soon? In life I get anxious about the present because I’m uncertain what will happen next, whether things will get better or worse.

Emotions

Normally people tend to regret the past or be anxious about the future. What if it was reversed and we were anxious about the past and regretful about the future? What would that look like? Would our attitude about life change?

If I was anxious about the past, then I would be worried about what happens next during an event in my life like asking someone out. If I was regretful of the future, then I would be upset at myself for making decisions I knew were bad for myself today like watching television over reading a book.

But I already know what happens next in the past, and it didn’t turn out as bad as I thought. She said no and I’m still alive. As much as I would be regretful of the future, I…