Worrying is a BUMMER! Instead FETCH the future!

Anxiety or worrying is usually future oriented. We don't worry about bad things happening in the past, we worry about bad things happening in the future. In this way, worrying is like bad code or a rogue program that hijacks our brains and then makes that unfortunate future MORE likely to happen. This is sometimes called a self-fulfilling prophecy.

We need to better understand how worrying works so we can get underneath it and begin to remove this bad code from our life and system and instead navigate towards a brighter future for ourselves and those we love.

The longer I do this type of work the more clear it becomes that we need helpful ways to remember things. One tool is an acronym. These are first draft ideas, so feedback and other words or wording is very welcome!

Worrying is a bummer because:

B - Bad outcomes become more likely

U - Unpleasant feelings

M - Mistakes increase because of less clarity in thinking

M - Molasses walking - tough to make progress/life feels like you are walking in circles

E - Exhaustion

R - Resource depletion - worrying zaps your energy

Instead, we need to FETCH the future! Fetching can help us understand that by focusing on the present moment, we can influence the future without worrying about it.

F - Focus - the present is something that you can have some control over.

E - Effort - working hard is key

T - Time - it will take time to see things unfold

C - Courage - be courageous even with setbacks

H - Hope - for good outcomes and strategies

You may not end up with the exact future you have envisioned, but these acronyms should help you avoid the BUMMER that is worrying so that you can FETCH a fulfilling future!

Please help us evolve these ideas by adding other words or acronyms that can help!

One more point! - I was just chatting with the team about this and we were talking about how worrying is tricky because it can feel good/productive. Like hey I'm doing a good job because I'm worrying about this. This can be a cultural thing too which can add another level of complexity. The key point is to realize that FETCHing the future is much more productive and helpful than worrying.