How do I stop overthinking about the future?
You keep thinking about everything that could go wrong. Here is what Nabi ﷺ told us to do instead.
Do you lie in bed at night thinking about your future?
Will I get the job? Will I find the right person to marry? Will I have enough money? What if it all goes wrong?
You think about it again and again. And after all that thinking, you still do not know the answer.
You do not know. Allah does.
Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. Not you, not your parents, not anyone. Allah tells us this in the Quran.
But Allah already knows. Your whole future is already clear to Him.
What is written for you will come to you
Nabi ﷺ said a person does not truly believe until he knows this: what came to him was always going to come, and what he missed was never going to be his.
So if something is written for you, you will get it. And if it is not, no amount of worrying will bring it to you.
What is written for you will never miss you. What is not written for you will never reach you.
We wrote more about this in Nobody can stop it.
Why is overthinking a problem?
Nabi ﷺ told us to be careful with two words: if only.
When something goes wrong, do not say, if only I had done this, it would have been different. Say instead that Allah decided, and He did what He wanted.
He said that thinking this way opens the door for Shaytan.
Overthinking works the same way. What if this happens? What if that happens? The longer you go round in circles, the more room Shaytan has to fill your head with fear.
So what should you do?
In the same hadith, Nabi ﷺ told us what to do instead: work for what is good for you, ask Allah for help, and do not give up.
Here is what that looks like.
1. Make dua. Tell Allah what you are worried about. Be honest with Him. Allah says in the Quran that when you call on Him, He will answer.
2. Work hard. Apply for the job. Study for the exam. Save the money. Trusting Allah does not mean sitting at home and waiting.
3. Trust Allah with the result. This is called tawakkul.
Nabi ﷺ said that if you really trusted Allah, He would feed you the way He feeds the birds. They leave their nests hungry in the morning and come back full in the evening.
Think about that. The birds still go out and look for food. They do their part. But they do not sit in the nest worrying about tomorrow.
4. Keep your salah strong. Allah tells us to ask for His help with patience and prayer. When your mind is full of worry, each of your five prayers is a chance to hand it over to Him.
Say this when you start to worry
Hasbiyallah. It means Allah is enough for me.
Allah taught Nabi ﷺ to say these words in the Quran. And Prophet Ibrahim said almost the same words when he was thrown into the fire. Allah told the fire to be cool and safe for him.
If Allah was enough for Ibrahim in the fire, He is enough for you at two in the morning.
What to do
- When you start to worry, ask yourself: what is one small thing I can do about this tomorrow? Then do it.
- Make dua about the part you cannot control.
- Say Hasbiyallah when your mind starts going round in circles.
- Pray on time, especially on the days you feel the most worried.
What not to do
- Do not keep saying if only about the past. It already happened. Focus on what you can do now.
- Do not mix up worrying with planning. Planning gives you a next step. Worrying just keeps you awake.
- Do not stop working hard because you trust Allah. The birds still leave the nest every day.
One last thing
Your future is in Allah's hands, and He knows what is best for you.
Your job is not to control what happens. Your job is to do your best, make dua, and trust Him with the rest.
Source: Quran 31:34; Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2144; Sahih Muslim 2664; Quran 40:60; Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2344; Quran 2:45; Quran 9:129; Sahih al-Bukhari 4563; Quran 21:69
SM
The teaching in this post comes from the Quran and the hadith listed above. I only put it in plain words. The tips on what to do and what not to do are my own advice. If you want to talk about anything in this post, write to me at salam@sunnahdaily.com.
For a ruling on your own situation, please speak to a qualified local scholar. You are welcome to email me about it as well, and I will help if I can, or point you to someone who can.