This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you choose to purchase through links I provide.
This post on creating anticipation is part of the 31 Days To A Happier You Challenge. In the last post we talked about the relationship between sleep and happiness. Today we are going to use anticipation to create more happiness in our lives.
I’ve always figured anticipation was a key part of happiness. I love planning a trip for the future. I take my time looking into hotels, activities to do, restaurants to eat at… And once the trip is completely planned I am practically counting down the days until I arrive. I’m betting some of you feel the exact same way!
Did you know that anticipation is the first of the four stages of experiencing a happy event? In fact, sometimes the happiness in anticipation can be greater than the happiness actually experienced in the moment!
Of course, the key to anticipation is having something on your calendar to look forward to. If you open your agenda and see nothing but work, that will only bring you down.
Make sure you have something to look forward to at regular intervals. This will help you break the stress cycle and help make you more resilient.
Taking a short 3 day vacation every quarter will give you something to look forward to, without having to be gone from work for too long of a stretch. Don’t get vacation days or can’t go on vacation? Then make sure to plan at least one enjoyable activity every month.
For today: Look at your family calendar or your work calendar. Check your PTO bank and your bank account. Then make a plan to do something (that fits your time and budget constraints) and put it on the calendar. No really, put it on the calendar. You can’t feel anticipation for something you know isn’t happening. So you actually have to pencil it in.
