Today, I am going to share with you some research about time perspectives, and how we can apply it to our lives for the better. How much time do you typically spend thinking about the past, focusing on the present moment(s), and contemplating the future? Turns out, this matters for our sense of well-being!
Another day, another....day inside. For most of us, we are still spending most of our time indoors, sheltering from the risk of contracting COVID-19. It can be mentally taxing, spending so much time indoors, away from the people and places and things we typically enjoyed before the pandemic, or venturing out to work and worrying about the risk that entails. It is highly possible that our mind will take residence in the 'now'. Whether it is the now of getting bills paid, feeding your family or self, going to work, working from home, or not working and wondering when you will again. There are a lot of stressful and important issues facing is in the here and now, so it is not surprising to think that many of us are focusing our attention on "now", with little time spent reminiscing about the past or planning for the future.
Turns out, though, that accessing all three time perspectives, with some balance, is important for our well-being. By the way, I have used the term 'well-being' quite a bit in my posts, and I want to clarify that well-being is different from happiness. They are very similar, in that they both conjure up positive thoughts or emotions. They are different, in that happiness is a state that focuses on positives, where well-being is a more deeply felt long term experience like what ancient Greek philosophers called 'eudaimonia'. Eudaimonia is a deeply felt, long term feeling of satisfaction or contentment, which includes things like the paradox of stress over a difficult task accompanied by the pride of accomplishing that task. Happiness is fleeting, while well-being or eudaimonia is enduring. There is a vast, growing library of research on well-being, and I will cover bite sized pieces of it in this blog. Back to time perspectives....
Some people seem to focus their energy on the past. This may be you, or someone you know. They talk a lot about the things they did, before. They reminisce about past accomplishments (or failures) a lot. They seem to have a hard time looking in any other direction besides, backward. While this can bring back positive emotions, like pride in a job well done, it can also bring back feelings of regret or sadness or disappointment for something that did not go well. If you are always focusing on the past, though, you cannot really move forward, can you?
Some people focus on the present. If you, or someone you know, focuses their energy on the present, they might be fun to be around. They, or you, might say things like: "You only live once!" They may also be perceived as impulsive, or unreliable. Focusing too much on the present can be fun, but also hinders you from planning for the future. That impulsivity can be an obstacle to self-disciplined action that propels you toward goals. It also robs you of the joy of reminiscing about the past if you are focusing too much on right now.
Some people focus on the future. If you, or someone you know, focuses their energy on the future, they are likely to be seen as hopeful, goal oriented, or self-disciplined. This person is planning and preparing for future events or goals. They are likely to meet those goals, because they think about how today's decisions or actions impact those future plans or goals. Too much of this, though, is likely to rob you of the joy of spontaneity, and the pleasure of reminiscing. If you are always thinking about the future, you are not enjoying the present moment. This person may accomplish a lot in the future, but may miss out on a lot in the present. This reminds me of my time running trails, especially now that I live in North Georgia, where the trails are forested and full of roots. To avoid injury, I am constantly surveying the area around me, while also keeping tabs on the ground right in front of me. I need to look ahead, so I know where I am going and can plan for hills, curves, etc. I need to look beside, and pay attention behind, so I am aware of animals, or people behind me. I need to look to the ground right in front of me, so I am aware of any tree roots in my path. When I first moved to GA from CA, there was a learning curve to trail running here. Trails in CA were mountainous, wide, and more open terrain, so I could keep my eyes ahead of me, which was important to plan for snakes, ascents and descents, etc. The forrested trails in GA, thought, brought new challenges: those roots on the trail are hard when you ram your foot into them. I have 2 broken toes as proof of the importance of watching for the roots, and stepping a little higher to get over them!
So, maybe you recognize yourself in one of these time perspectives: focusing more on past, present, or future. Maybe you also recognize the value of each, and the obstacles they create if accessed too often. The research tells us to access all three, as equally as possible. I pointed out earlier that it is likely that we are all focusing on the present right now, worrying about the stresses of the day. And this is certainly good for our ability to resolve those stresses. To problem solve, to be creative, and to resolve the stresses of the day, we do need to focus on the present. But, if we can actively turn our focus to the past, to reminisce about happier moments, and to the future to experience hope for a better day/month/year/decade, well, that is going to help our well-being, too.
It is hard to allow ourselves to access the positive found in reminiscing or thinking hopefully for the future. I am guilty, myself, of thinking there will never be a 'normal' again, and that is frustrating and frightening. It is also hard to access past or future thoughts when you only have enough time or energy to survive the present. I get that. I am not trying to make light of the very difficult times in which we are currently living. I am mad as hell that I don't get to see my husband for at least a year, because it is too risky for us to travel between CA and GA. I am mad as hell people are dying unnecessarily, to COVID-19, to police brutality, to racist acts, to abuse or other violent acts. I am mad as hell about our current American political environment, our economy, that fact that people are unemployed, hungry, about to be evicted, worrying about kids, teachers and other staff members going back to school, working at risk and worrying about how to take care of your kids if they don't go back to school, etc. The list of things to be mad as hell about it pretty long right now.
With all that, it is pretty hard to think about 'reminiscing about the past' or being 'hopeful for the future'. But... I will say, when I am lonely, I think about past moments with my kids or family, and I think about future events with them to ease my present loneliness. So, accessing other time points can help us manage all of them. For me, my concern about the future is what motivates me into action in the present. I think about what I have done in the past that might inform the actions I take in the present to help build a better future. So, by using all three time perspectives, I, like you, can change the future, mold the future. I, like you, can be the change I wish to see in the world, as Gandhi and others have called us to be. Thinking about past successes can help me make decisions today that will help resolve some of today's obstacles. Thinking about the future, and how I might change it, provides hope. And when we have hope, today's problems, sometimes, seem more manageable.
Task for today: Think about how you access time. Find balance between the three perspectives. If you are stuck in one, challenge yourself to spend time in the others. The past gives us knowledge that can help us deal with today's problems. The past and the present can help inform our thoughts, goals, hopes for the future. Our hope for the future can sustain us during the challenges of today. See how they are interconnected? Do what you can, today, to find balance in the three time perspectives. It can help you deal with the present situation(s).
Take care!
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