How looking forward to something benefits your health
Life can get a little overwhelming at times so it is worthwhile having something to look forward to. What do you have planned in 2018 and how can it help your mindset?
Now that the new year is into full swing you are back into routines, work has settled and life is back to what feels like ‘normal’ you can begin to feel a little ho-hum as you look for slight changes and difference to routine to create a little more zest in your life. Planning something in advance can help you maintain motivation and focus at work, it can create more encouragement than setting yet another goal. This is because goals can sometimes feel like a checklist of to-do’s and life’s routine is already filled with these. To help you maintain motivation and focus I have composed a simple list of fun things you can schedule regularly to give you something to look forward to and avoid the ho-hum patterning life may fall into.
1. Book a trip nationally or internationally. This is my personal favorite. A trip away allows you to vacate your life literally and figuratively. I recommend going somewhere you haven’t been before so it creates even more excitement, along the way you can entertain yourself with finding out facts about your destination or cool travel hacks. Most individuals tend to find these trips also help to increase the health and fitness regimes they have put in place. So why not, right? My only recommendation is that if you really want to enjoy your trip leave with no loose ends, a tidy house, someone to look after your pets, plants, or mail and ensure you have enough funds to really enjoy your destination this way you can soak it up and return without any extra stresses that take the fun out of the holiday, keeping your memories untainted with anxiety.
2. Schedule massages. I have regular massages scheduled each month as part of my self-care routine and I must tell you, I always crave the day when my phone notifies me that I am getting pampered for an hour. I used to think I was being a little extravagant and I couldn’t afford it, however, the payoff was experiencing back and shoulder pain, not feeling completely relaxed (meditation, stretching, and yoga work but it’s not the same), and walking around with my shoulders in my ears. The $80 a month is worth it.
3. Organise a girls/boys night out once a month. Even if you are married or have children it’s important to dedicate some time to be a separate entity for the healthiness of your relationship. Go and have fun, let your hair down and laugh with your crew, men need men, and women need women to discuss gender-based things so hang out at least occasionally completely free of partners.
4. Have a quarterly shopping spree. Before you do this donate any clothes you haven’t worn for a month to a charity or sell at a garage sale, then go and get clothes you know you can wear many times over plus a few special pieces. You’ll find it because you aren’t purchasing clothing continuously you’ll buy better quality pieces and you won’t indulge in fast fashion.
5. Organise catch-ups with friends. If you are notorious for scheduling mate dates at the last minute start organizing catch up with friends at least a week in advance, you’ll really value these catch-ups and most probably have a higher quality catch up if it isn’t as frequent. Make sure you message your friend a couple of days before to ensure they are still good for the catch up in case life has simply got busy. Google Calendars or your phone’s reminder system is fantastic for helping you with this.
6. Go to a Meetup in your local area. This is most suitable for people who live in larger communities or cities. Meetups are social groups that host events based on interest, sign up at meetup.com and then meet new people, the events are listed by date and you can see the number of attendees so you’ll be sure that you can look forward to people being there whether you have a pal to go with or not. Nervous about going solo? Go early and meet the hosts, they’ll introduce you to people as they arrive.
Do you have any other ideas of things you can look forward to? List them below, I’d love to hear about them! In the meantime, I hope you schedule somethings to look forward to during the rest of the year that will help you maintain your motivation, socialization, and desire for life.
Till next time,
Julia
