Dementia Care; How Looking Forward Helps

Remember the popular Heinz commercial?

"Anticipation...anticipa-a-tion, it's making me wait...it's keeping me wa-a-a-aaiting." 

Did you know that anticipation is actually a good thing?!

It's true...having something to look forward to energizes you and can even help you get through challenging times.

While a worldwide pandemic makes it less likely that you are making BIG future plans, we're excited to share that you can get the same warm fuzzy feeling by weaving seemingly small experiences of anticipation into your every day life.

Here are some of our favorites:

• Look forward to your cup of coffee when you wake up in the morning
• Schedule an evening walk with a friend
• Think about the next episode your going to view of your favorite show
• Order a best-seller to read and anticipate the delivery
• Decide to treat yourself to a favorite dessert on Friday
• Put together a surprise package to send someone you miss
• Plan a movie night and order take out from a favorite restaurant
• Research trips you want to take later this year (a study published in the journal of Applied Research in Quality of Life reported that just planning or anticipating a trip can make you as happy as the trip itself!)

So...do you have something right now to look forward to every day?

If not, we challenge you to take these steps to create some anticipation.

• Write down three things that make you happy.
• Schedule at least one a day for the next three days.
• If you are a caregiver taking care of a spouse, parent, relative, or friend, we encourage you to do the same with them.

Enjoy this experiment and remember...happiness is having something to look forward to!