Be Present
The past is the past. It's gone. Yes, it affects us, but if we let the past paralyze us, we can't move forward. If you have issues from your past that get in your way, find a way to work through the challenges, whether in therapy, ritual, or the intervention of deities. Then forget about the past.
Worrying about the future is worrying about stuff you make up in your imagination. The future doesn't exist yet. Worrying about possibilities has a tendency to bring those possibilities to reality. Certainly you can worry about your current state, but don't worry about what-ifs. You can prepare for bad things without worrying. Put money away in savings in case you lose your job, get disability insurance in case something terrible happens, but don't focus so much of your energy on that thing that you stop having fun.
Stay in the present. Be aware. Be connected. Focus on the people you are with. If you get caught up in the past or the future, a little focused breathing, being mindful of your breath, your body, your surroundings, will bring you back to the present. When you are with your lover, focus your whole being on them. The interplay of the Now is what's important for a happy life.
If you can leave the past behind and stop worrying about the future, living and loving come much easier.
A great book, a mere 96 pages, is True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart
by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen Buddhist monk.
