Flip flopping

"If you are depressed, you are living in the past.
If you are anxious, you are living in the future.
If you are at peace, you are living in the present."

I read this quote a few weeks ago and have been really soaking it up lately. Its been helping me refocus to the present.  When I'm feeling blue, I think about what's going on and it usually IS something from the past.  I regret something I did or didn't do.  I wish I would have done something different.  I think about how I could have said something differently in order to get a different outcome.  But what CAN I do about it?  Is it wrong to think about our past?  I think it depends how you do it.  If you look to your past in order to learn from mistakes and make yourself into a better person, then by all means, keep considering the past.  But when you LIVE in the past, continually problem solving something you can't do anything about, and you don't allow yourself to accept it, that's when it becomes a problem and depression sneaks up on you. 

On the other hand, when I recognize I'm feeling tense, frustrated, and flustered, I find I am worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet, how it's going to turn out, and how I'm going to be able to handle it.  Anxiety isn't a bad thing.  It prepares us for things and helps us be proactive about situations we will face.  (read more here)