Waiting for Results

It’s a strange feeling to be in the waiting room.

You’re awaiting news of some kind: an outcome, a set of results, some form of news. Once you’ve made it to this stage, your only job is to wait. There’s nothing you can do!

Which is, of course, frustrating. You’d love to have a time machine that works in reverse: that is, it moves forward. Time is our most valuable resource, yet when you’re waiting for something important, you’d gladly burn the hours to get the news you want.

I’d encourage you to enjoy the waiting, but that’s not how it works. Anyone who’s waited knows that waiting is no fun at all. So instead, do something else.

What can you do while you’re waiting for the results of something? My first suggestion: do anything other than wait.

If the news you’re waiting on is delivered online, stop doomscrolling. You’re not going to miss the real news, and everything else is just speculation.

Go for a walk, get some real work done, lift weights in the gym, call a friend—do something that has nothing to do with waiting.

My second suggestion is: prepare for the outcome you don’t want. You’re not going to jinx it. If anything, by preparing for defeat, you’ll be able to respond with more strength if that outcome actually occurs.

And of course, if a more positive outcome occurs—that’s great! By not taking it for granted, you haven’t pre-factored in the good feelings that accompany the results.

One final thing: when you’re waiting on something, it usually means that thing is outside your control. Your real choice, therefore, is between anxiety and acceptance. Again, consider: “What can I do about this?”

When the answer is “Not a lot!”, you might want to ask something different: “How can I change myself? How can I improve in some way during the time of waiting?”

This is perhaps your best option of all.

###

Images: 1, 2, 3