We are never present with, but always beyond ourselves: fear, desire, hope, still push us on toward the future.
( Montaigne Essays , 1580-8)
This was one of the things about human beings that concerned Epicurus. Men find it difficult to live in the present (the “now”). He would have had no problem with hope (a positive thing), but fear and desire are two characteristics Epicurus wants us to quell in seeking a pleasant life.
Some people are born with pervasive anxiety, which drugs do nothing to assuage. The struggle is to fight it or have sufficient pleasurable activities that distract the mind from its anxiety. The same can be said for desire. There are tricks to subduing these things, but using them on a continuing basis is tough.