What are you looking forward to?

At this time of year, we often ask some variation of this question, or we are quick to tell people what we anticipate with glee.

Halloween is upon us, and depending on where you live, the leaves are turning, the temps are cooling, and we are entering the season of holiday and celebration. 

Just because it’s the season of festivity doesn’t mean that everyone feels it; sometimes, we have to work at it a little (if you want to).

A therapist friend of mine tells me all the time that one of the best ways to stave off depression is to have something to look forward to, especially as we age.

That doesn’t mean waiting around your mailbox or inbox for someone to invite you to a party. It means taking some initiative and making a plan for enjoyment in whatever form.

But then I remind myself as quickly as possible that it’s not helping to leave my attention there.

I have finally gotten back to running and training a tiny bit more regularly. I purposefully put this at the end of my day so I can look forward to it. I find that it’s a comfortable way to end my day because running and even afterward is when I feel most like myself. I feel most at home in my life and my body.

I look forward to it.

I have also made a list of little shops or boutiques that I have driven by or that people have mentioned to me, and I am slowly checking those out.

Last week, I told you how less is becoming more when it comes to possessions and living in a smaller space. 

But having something to look forward to is what we can maximize. We always have room for anticipation. That’s why Christmas Eve is often more exciting than Christmas Day. Decorating for the holidays is more fun than packing it away for the next year.

That’s not to say that life can’t live up to the hype. It’s just that enthusiasm for what’s next makes days feel better. When you count how many sleeps before a party, your birthday, or when you get to see your favorite people again, there is an elation that arrives with the day or the person. 

We have waited, pouring our psychological and emotional energy into it. We have been focused on it, and it has flourished.

What goodness or excitement can you pour energy into, and what can you look ahead to on the horizon?

A friend of mine is turning her December birthday gathering this year into a Hallmark-themed event. Hallmark movie attire is encouraged. It’s a whole thing.

You might say, that’s silly, or ask why.

Why? It’s something to look forward to! And that simply feels better. Give it a try.