"I, too, have been having difficulty conjuring up visions of a better future either for myself or in general. I posted this insight on social media in the final throes of 2025, and received many responses. A lot of respondents agreed they felt like they were just existing, encased in a bubble of the present tense, the road ahead foggy with uncertainty."
"He assured me I was not alone. Most of his clients, he said, have lost the future. People are feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated, bombarded with bad news each day global economic and political instability, the rising cost of living, job insecurity, severe weather events. This not only heightens anxiety but also makes it more difficult to keep going. I hadn't fully grasped how much the idea of a better future sustained me how it made life more livable, hardship more bearable and creativity possible."
Many people are struggling to think beyond the next few days or weeks and cannot conjure visions of a better future. Respondents report feeling encased in the present, paralyzed rather than comforted by living in the now. A clinical psychologist observes that most clients have effectively "lost the future." Daily bombardment with bad news — global economic and political instability, rising living costs, job insecurity, and severe weather — fuels overstimulation and anxiety. This erosion of future imagining reduces motivation, undermines commitment to long-term projects, weakens investment in the next generation, and impairs creativity and resilience.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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