Alle Pierce knows how to plan vacations. Months before, he “obsessively Googles” and creates a spreadsheet of all the things he wants to do and see. Examine the menus of the restaurants you want to visit. Use an image from the destination as your phone’s lock screen image and download a countdown app.
“The expectation before a trip is very exciting”said Pierce, founder of a luxury travel company called Gals Abroad Getaways, which plans group tours for women. Experts point out that she may be right. Numerous studies suggest that having something to look forward to improves your mood and reduces your stress.
“Imagining good things in advance makes us feel better in the present moment”explained Simon A. Rego, chief psychologist at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, who He has written extensively on the effect of expectation on mood. “It can increase motivation, optimism, patience, and decrease irritability.”
Of course, we can’t just book a flight every time we need a little pep. But there are ways to harness and incorporate the power of expectation into your everyday life.
Get excited about lots of things
Waiting for many delicious little experiences can be so pleasurable like waiting for a big event, said Carrie L. Wyland, a social psychologist at Tulane University in New Orleans.
“At the end of each day, write one thing you will be excited about tomorrow“, He suggested. Accumulating those mini-emotions means you’ll still get the benefits of expecting something.even if it’s not much of a reward, said Christian E. Waugh, a professor of psychology at Wake Forest University who studies expectancy.
“Plus, with things closer, there’s more of a feeling that it’s going to happen for sure.“, revealed. “You have more control over a small gathering that night than you do over a vacation six months from now.”
Connect with your future self
Research has shown that feeling like we are in the process of being our “future selves” can have a positive effect on well-being by taking us out of short-term thinking. think ahead it can help you prioritize your health and maybe even act more ethically.
While it’s fun to daydream about your future selfthe concrete steps you need to take to get there can be intimidating. Maybe your future self wants to speak fluent French, but your future self can hardly ask for a croissant.
Start by clarifying the things in life you value most, then set goals around that.suggested the specialist Rego; If staying fit and healthy as you age is your priority, perhaps running a 5K is your goal. But don’t wait to feel motivated before taking the first step. Rather, when you do something to achieve your goal, “focus on how motivated you feel after, not before”he added. As you start to see progress, it will get easier: you will look forward to doing the things that bring you closer to your future self.
invent something
If the holidays are something you look forward to, said Megan White, an event planner in Savannah, Georgia, don’t wait until it’s a holiday to celebrate; just make one up. Throw a birthday party for the dog or host a pancake breakfast for all the kids on your street.
Whether it’s a party, a bribe, or a list night, expectation can be a powerful tool for manipulating our emotions.. When television writer Anna Beth Chao writes an episode of you on Netflix, he says, “we always try to end with something that makes you go, ‘Oh my gosh, I have to see what happens next.‘” he explained.
When you get blocked, you just tell yourself a story about the characters and see where it leads. It’s a tactic she reuses in her personal life to try to look forward to something she dreads, like the four-day trip she just took from Los Angeles to her home in New Orleans.
“I basically tell myself a little story about what could happen,” he said. “If you frame it within the possibility of an affair, it’s easier to get excited.”
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
