{"id":30844,"date":"2026-09-21T11:36:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T11:36:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/?p=30844"},"modified":"2026-09-21T11:36:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T11:36:06","slug":"thoughts-of-the-past-and-future-keep-youth-from-living-in-the-present","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/2026\/09\/thoughts-of-the-past-and-future-keep-youth-from-living-in-the-present\/","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts of the past and future keep youth from living in the present"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thoughts about the past that they have not been able to let go of and concerns about a future that has not yet arrived have become sources of worry for a number of youth, keeping them from living in the present.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Interviews conducted by Salam Watandar with 20 youth in Kabul and several provinces of Afghanistan show that memories, regrets and past experiences, along with concerns about the future, continue to occupy their minds.<\/p>\n

Among the youth interviewed for this report, nine said they remain stuck in the past, while 11 said they live with concerns and worries about the future.<\/p>\n

When the past keeps youth from living in the present<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Among the nine youth who continue to struggle with the past, five said their present lives are affected by memories, regrets, missed opportunities and past experiences. The other four said they blame themselves for some events in the past and added that this feeling has prevented them from letting go of it.<\/p>\n

Yosra, a 19-year-old resident of Ghor, says: \u201cSometimes memories and events from the past occupy my mind so much that I feel I am living more in the past. My thoughts are mostly occupied by them. That is why sometimes I forget that I should live in the present.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mohsen, a resident of Farah province, also says: \u201cUnfortunately, I live more in the past, and my mind is still occupied by past events and opportunities. I always try to distance myself from the past and focus more on the present and future, but so far I have not been able to completely let go of the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

For some of these youth, being stuck in the past is not limited to remembering old memories. It can also cause them to distance themselves from what they are doing in the present.<\/p>\n

Farahnaz Jalili, a 19-year-old resident of Kabul, says she constantly reviews past memories and events in her mind, which she cites as signs of being stuck in the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cI constantly go over past memories in my mind, whether they were good or bad. Many times, I blame myself, asking why I did something or made a certain decision that I now regret. I feel my past mistakes as a heavy burden on my shoulders, and this has caused me not to have the motivation for daily activities and made it difficult for me to think about the present and future,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Mursal Zaryab, a resident of Parwan, also says: \u201cWhen I am busy with something, whether studying, doing housework or anything else, an event from the past suddenly comes to mind and becomes prominent. It is usually an event that was important to me, whether it was good or bad, and it comes back to my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to these youth, this has also affected their peace of mind, concentration and ability to deal with daily activities.<\/p>\n

Wazhma, a 23-year-old, says being stuck in the past and being unable to live in the present have caused her mental distress and affected her concentration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I feel that I am not living in the present, I feel distressed and do not ask anyone for help. I do not have a friend, I do not ask my family for help, and I do not have anyone to guide me. I become more occupied with my own thoughts,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Salima Hazrat Enqelabi, a 25-year-old resident of Balkh, also says: \u201cWhen I feel that I am not living in the present, I become more mentally distressed. I cannot control my mind, the words, thoughts and images that come rushing into it. I feel as if my body is somewhere else, but my mind is living in several different periods at once. I think about the past, and it completely disrupts the present. I have even lost work opportunities because of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

These accounts show that for some youth, the past is more than just a part of their memories. It has become a constant presence in their minds that can affect their peace of mind and concentration in the present.<\/p>\n

When the future affects youth\u2019s present<\/strong><\/h5>\n

On the other hand, 11 youth interviewed for this report said they live with concerns, worries and fears about the future. Concerns about education, future employment, achieving their goals and constantly thinking about the years ahead are among the main factors that, according to them, keep their minds away from the present.<\/p>\n

Madina Ahmadi, a 19-year-old resident of Nangarhar, says concerns about the future and efforts to achieve her goals keep her from living in the present.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorrying about the future, some unpleasant experiences, economic problems and comparing my life with others on social media are factors that keep my mind away from the present,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

Sara, a 23-year-old resident of Balkh, also says: \u201cI am always worried about the future. If I hear something, I become very worried about what will happen in the future. I keep thinking, \u2018When will the opportunity come? What will I do if it comes?\u2019 I am always occupied with the future because my dreams are in the future, and I forget the present. I become so preoccupied with the future that I do not even realize what is happening today.\u201d<\/p>\n

For some youth, concern about the future appears in the form of overthinking, fear of events that have not happened, and constantly planning for different situations that have yet to occur.<\/p>\n

Anahita Amiri, a 26-year-old resident of Herat, says thinking too much about future events and trying to predict them are among the main factors that keep her from living in the present.<\/p>\n

\u201cOverthinking, worrying about events that have not yet happened, constantly planning for the future and being afraid that the future may not turn out the way I want are some of the signs I see in myself,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Manizha, a 20-year-old resident of Kabul, says: \u201cWhen an event has not happened yet, I think about it a lot and plan for different scenarios in my mind. Sometimes I think so much about tomorrow that I do not realize that today also has moments that I should enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being preoccupied with the future, like being stuck in the past, has consequences for the daily lives of these youth. A number of them say that fear of the outcome and worries about the future have made it difficult for them even to start certain activities.<\/p>\n

Shahroz Ramin, an 18-year-old resident of Kabul, says worrying about the results of his actions has, in some cases, caused him to miss existing opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, because I think too much about the outcome of something or worry about the future, I have missed the opportunity to make use of the present. For example, instead of focusing on a task or an existing opportunity, I have thought so much about the final outcome that it became difficult for me to start,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Maryam, a 22-year-old resident of Nuristan, also says: \u201cI have missed some opportunities because I overthink. For example, once I spent too much time thinking about what the future of an educational program would be. By the time I made a decision, the registration deadline had passed.\u201d<\/p>\n

For these youth, although the future is linked to hopes and dreams, excessive worry and overthinking about it have, in some cases, prevented them from making use of opportunities in the present.<\/p>\n

Balancing the past, present and future; a way for youth to return to the present<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Psychologists and sociologists say that being mentally focused on times other than the present can affect youth\u2019s mental well-being, concentration, decision-making, daily lives and even social relationships. They say that maintaining a balance between the past, present and future can help reduce these consequences. Mohammadullah Baloch, a psychologist, says,<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a person lives too much in the past, it can affect their mental health by increasing hopelessness, reducing motivation, weakening concentration and reducing their ability to work. Psychologically, living in the future also means that a person does not pay attention to or concentrate on the present. They experience anxiety and may experience changes such as mood irritability, increased pressure and psychological stress, and reduced concentration in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shoaib Ahmadi, a sociologist, says: \u201cIn every area of life, if we do not maintain balance or moderation, we face many problems, including the issue of living in the past or the future. When people focus too much on the past, it prevents them from building new relationships. On the other hand, if they focus too much on the future and think about it excessively, this can damage their social relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Zuhal Amirzada, a psychologist, says that writing down thoughts, having a plan and managing time are among the ways to reduce mental preoccupation and help youth focus on the present.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever they feel that their minds are going back to the past or are stuck in the future, they should change their physical surroundings. If they are in a room, they should go outside so that their nervous system can disconnect from those thoughts. They should write down all the thoughts they have on a piece of paper. Having a simple plan that matches a person\u2019s ability and following a proper schedule can help bring their mind back to the present.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being mentally preoccupied with the past and worrying about the future can affect how youth live in the present. Memories and unpleasant experiences, regrets over missed opportunities and uncertainty about the future are among the issues that cause some youth to focus more on the past or the future and affect their daily lives.<\/p>\n

Reporter: Eshwa Azizi<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thoughts about the past that they have not been able to let go of and concerns about a future that has not yet arrived have become sources of worry for a number of youth, keeping them from living in the present.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":30845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[990,9,186,218],"tags":[120,2225,2226,2227,2228],"class_list":["post-30844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest","category-soceity","category-investigative-reports","category-health","tag-youth","tag-past","tag-future","tag-thoughts","tag-living-in-the-present"],"views":4,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30844"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30844\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30846,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30844\/revisions\/30846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}