Our resident psychiatrist says not so fast–that the future is worth a look.
Q: Why is living in the moment always such a good thing?
We invest a lot of time imagining what we are going to be like when we develop. But when we are adults, imagining ourselves from today we do. It should be.
For example, research found that looking at digitally modified images think jowls and wrinkles –leaves people less spontaneous. Along these lines, writing a letter to oneself from today has been shown to steer people. Some suggest putting visual renderings of a person’s old face on debit and credit cards to promote spending that is smart. Binge eating, substance abuse, and impulse behaviors might also be impacted by considering one self. Offense researchers recognize it is a tool to encourage offenders to discourage crime in general and to think about consequences of their actions.
Resilience specialist Robert Brooks asks teachers to think about their future selves to boost their performance now: “If years from now somebody asked your students about some of their best memories of their educators, would they immediately recall encounters they had in your classroom?” Considering their pupils will describe them later motivates them to produce a more positive classroom in the present.
Thinking might help us be the best versions of ourselves now, although YOLO may be a refrain that is cultural. Sometimes the best approach would be to consider the future.
