Looking forward to somethingโฆ can be almost as good as experiencing it!
Image: Jakov Jakovljeviฤ
We all know how to plan a vacation. We all have tried to construct a spreadsheet of all the things we want to do and see. We go through the menus of restaurants that we want to visit. Setting our destination as our phone lock background and counting down the days till we go.
What's so exciting about a trip is the anticipation before it. Numerous studies have suggested that having something to look forward to boosts your mood and lowers your stress.
"Imagining good things ahead of us makes us feel better about the current moment," said Simon A. Rego, the chief psychologist at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He has written extensively on the effect of anticipation on mood. It can increase motivation, optimism, and patience and decrease irritability.
Of course, realistically, we can't book a flight every time we need a bit of cheering up. However, there are ways to harness and incorporate the power of anticipation into your everyday life.
Get excited about a lot of things.
โAnticipating a small, delightful experience can be as enjoyable as looking forward to one big eventโ
At the end of every day, write down one thing you are excited about. Maybe it's a new book, getting doughnuts, or a package you are expecting.
The accumulation of these mini thrills means that you will reap the benefits of looking forward to something, even if it's not a big-ticket reward. With the nearer events, there's a sense that it's going to happen for sure. You've got more control over a small gathering happening this evening than a vacation in the next 6 months.
Connect with your future self.
Ever walk through a house for sale and picture yourself serving an impressive cheese plate on the deck? When open homes are prepped for sale, it is showing the people what their life could be like if they lived there. We are essentially saying,
โThis could be your future.
โ
It works because it's so compelling to imagine yourself as the kind of person who always has say, a bouquet of tulips on the kitchen table. Research has shown that feeling as though you are on the path to the future self that you want to be, can have a positive effect on your well-being and prioritize your health even more so.
While it's fun to daydream about your future self, the steps that you need to take to get there can be intimidating. Start with clarifying the things in life that you value the most and then set goals around them. If your priority is staying fit and healthy as you age, maybe your goal is to run a 5K marathon. But don't wait to feel motivated. You must take the first step and do something towards your goal. As you start seeing progress, it will get easier. You can look forward to the things that get you closer to your future self. If you frame the story as if it's an adventure, it's much easier to get excited about it.
Hey so
we adapted this piece with the bits that resonated most, but thereโs more to the story and pearls of wisdom over at @NYT.
