Maybe you need to create a real or imaginary outline and make yourself agree to stick to it? If she strays off topic to places you want to go that get you stuck, the conversation or say, "Sorry, Mom, can we talk later? Gotta go!" Learn how to take charge of the parts of your chats that lead you to the traps.
Regarding your imagining - you realize that what you focus on expands. Promise yourself to live today and today only. Stop looking to the future and take care of today. The more you stay present, the better off you'll be.
"There are only 2 ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
