Thinking of the future and planning for future - is this not mindfulness?

[gerronwithit]

Am reading The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD by Hershfield and Corboy.

On p9 they say that OCD lives in the 'what if' not the 'what is' and discuss staying in the present.

They then say:

Even thinking can be done in the present. Okay, you are a person thinking. There's nothing there for the OCD to get its claws into. However, in the 'what if' is the fear of what might have happened or what might happen still. Then there's the urge to do something about that fear to keep it from being realised

I know that the most accepted definition is paying attention in the present moment non-judgementally. The above passage seems to state that one can think mindfully (which I didn't know - I thought it was antithetical to mindfulness).

But what about if I think my day tomorrow so I can plan it, even if I do so without being lost in the thought, am I less mindful because I am not fully in the present by virtue of planning for the future?

And likewise am I not mindful if (say) I think about whether to apply for jobs next week because I don't like my current one?

[Gareth]

Thinking is a natural and normal part of being human. I have been practising mindfulness for nigh on 7 years, and I still think - all the time. I think it's just that my awareness of it is far better than it ever used to be.

I don't know much about OCD, but I suspect that the thinking process in people with OCD is functioning differently to the rest of the population,

Take a look at this blog from the main site:
https://www.everyday-mindfulness.org/oc ... ss-and-me/

[gerronwithit]

Thanks, Gareth. Though OCD manifests in myriad ways we all have some common features in common and it's always good to read about others' experiences.

So...If I AM thinking about something in the future, even with full awareness of what I am doing, am I still not being as mindful (say) as if I were thinking about something in the present, with the same level of awareness?

[piedwagtail91]

It's fine to Plan.
I see it as active or mindful thinking. It's probably easier and more productive doing it mindfuly.
Another definition of mindfulness, credited to the Dalai Lama, is " bringing present moment awareness to everyday activities".
So planning is ok.
Planning is an everyday activity.
The only thing to watch for are the 'what Ifs' creeping in.

[JonW]

There's a big difference between making plans and worrying about the future.
For me, mindfulness plays a big part in recognising when we are doing the latter rather than the former.
Cheers,
Jon

[gerronwithit]

Thanks, fellas, and I like that Dalai Lama quote. I shall write it in the cover o my book and refer back to it if and when I tie myself up with 'Is this mindfulness'.

[gerronwithit]

Here's one: if I am worrying WITH present moment awareness...Am I being mindful?!

Or is it the case that I'm not because a mindful approach would mean that I make a reasoned and discerning decision to not engage in futile worry?

[piedwagtail91]

There is no worry in the present moment.
If you're worrying then you're 'thinking' about the future, you're not present.
There are only two things to do when a problem(or thought bringing on anxiety) comes up, take immediate action to fix it, so you've done all you can so no need to worry.
Or accept that nothing can be done, again if that is the option then worrying solves nothing, better to practice acceptance. It just robs you of a chance of present moment happiness.
Easier to say than do in a crisis, but with practice it's possible.

[Antonio94]

Based on the explaination above then I suppose we can understand like this: planning/thinking for future is legit, as long as we know that all of these planning and thinking are unreal and it don't happen yet. We think about future (similar to think about something) while still aware that we're in the present and things in our mind have yet to come true. And so it's okay to think about future, provided that we're awared of what happening in our life currently.
The state which gerron mention is like a state of fear and insecure. From what I understand, when a person is tired of his current life and he refuses to face it, he will fall into one of these 2 situations:
1) Recall happy moments in his life (which is in the past)
2) Thinking towards the future and dreams of many wild, happy scenarios (which are untrue since these scenarios don't happen yet, and they may even not become real in the future).
In this case, probably gerron refer to the situation (2). And so a person who has tendency to dream about the future is likely to be constantly in hurry state and manipulative. And this is exactly when he loses the state of mindfulness - he doesn't aware of his current state, he just thinks about the future he dreams.
I hope this explaination is legit .

[gerronwithit]

There is no worry in the present moment.
If you're worrying then you're 'thinking' about the future, you're not present.
There are only two things to do when a problem(or thought bringing on anxiety) comes up, take immediate action to fix it, so you've done all you can so no need to worry.
Or accept that nothing can be done, again if that is the option then worrying solves nothing, better to practice acceptance. It just robs you of a chance of present moment happiness.
Easier to say than do in a crisis, but with practice it's possible.

Thanks for your reply, that's where I am trying to get to with worry: resisting that impulse to worry.

So would you also say that if I am planning for tomorrow I am also not present, even if I do it with full awareness?