Why Ive decided to stop stressing about the future

Why Ive decided to stop stressing about the futureWhy Ive decided to stop stressing about the futureIm a chronic look-ahead-er. Ive been that way for as long as I can remember.Ive tried just about every trick in the book to try to focus on the present moment rather than hesitantly and anxiously looking ahead into the unknown. A wonderful former therapist told me that looking ahead causes anxiety and looking behind causes regret, so its important to work to stay in the present moment. This is a helpful, logical way of thinking, but the question remains for me - how do I do it?What I knowI know thatpracticing meditationeven for just a few moments per day helps. And I know thatstaying organizedand allowing myself to have a feeling of control helps, too. Exercise and its accompanying endorphins often loosen the tight grip of anxiety that I sometimes feel in my chest. And so do gentle reminders - my mom told me an analogy once that compared looking ahead to swimming - its important to focus only on each individual stroke rather than the ultimate end of the lap.How I get trappedMy anxiety du jour is that I once again find myself at the crossroads of a career transition. I wrote about it a few months back, but I will be finishing up a graduate degree in English in December. This degree is quite broad I know I have the opportunity to apply my newly-acquired skills to many different areas. But with that comes the next question where do I turn? What do I do? And then come the tailspin questions (often riddled with imposter syndrome) will I be able to find a job I love? Am I adding too many twists and turns to my career path? What if Im not qualified enough? How will I pay the bills? What if I hate the new job? How will I know if its right?And once Im in this mindset, no matter how many times work on my breathing or picture the swimmer, the anxiety grips me.A change of perspectiveTheres a beautiful wooded trail near my house that I walk just about every day. I was rece ntlylistening to a podcastand was struck when the interviewer asked the interviewee what they planned to do next. For some reason, that word lodged itself into my brain and stayed. I kept walking and it became a near-mantra that day. With the pace of my stride, I thought, next, next, next, next This little word somehow sparked in me a shift in mindset. Instead of focusing so much on what I should do for the rest of my life and worrying about the broad, distant questions, I have continued to repeat the word next to myself what do I want to donext? What is thenextbest step for me? Whatnextstep will help keep me on the path that feels inherently right? What can I donextto help better myself?What I focus on nowInstead of what is foreverjust, what is next? Im almost 30 and realize that I am still pretty young- with many years of my career still ahead of me. Instead of finding the be all, end all path, maybe its okay that I continue on a more circuitous route. It can cause anxiety, sure, but maybe theres some fun in not knowing what is to come. Maybe the trick is to move away from the perceived stability of forever and focus on the excitement - instead of the anxiety - of the unknown. Maybe the point is to look forward, but just a step or two ahead - toward the next.This article was originally posted on CareerContessa.com.