The “Back To The Future” Effect… Or The Importance Of Expectations
The news and magazines have been filled these days with the fact that the day that set one of the most beloved films of recent decades has arrived: “Back to the Future II” In the film, The protagonist traveled to October 21, 2015, and there (here) a whole vision of a future that in the end has little to resemble the one we really have. No flying cars, no time travel, no special skates… and they didn’t predict mobile phones or tablets.
What were they thinking? Does this mean that in 2350 we will not be able to do space travel? Are televisions that give off odors never going to arrive? We can’t even trust Rappel!
Humor aside, this cinephile introduction brings me to the topic I want to talk about in this article: The expectations Expectations collect ideas, illusions, fears, predictions and hopes of what has not yet happened. We have expectations of the results we will obtain in exams and jobs, how a new job will go, how a medical treatment will work or how that appointment will go. We have an idea of what we want our life to be like at 50, where we want to retire from, where we would like to raise our children, etc.
What happens is that not everything always happens as we expect Life is full of surprises and what we previously thought was going to happen remains a simple memory in our minds of what could have been. When what we expected is not fulfilled, feelings and experiences such as disappointment, frustration, anger or sadness may occur Knowing how to adjust our expectations and face possible surprises and frustrations will help us in our daily lives. But how to do it? How to work on our thoughts about the future when we are saying that it can be totally unpredictable? Here are a few tips.
6 tips to manage expectations and frustration
1. Be realistic
Be aware of how far you can go. I don’t want to disprove those who say that we can go wherever we want, but We have to be clear about the path that will take us to our goals I can’t publish a book if I don’t dedicate my hours to writing it and if I don’t also train myself in writing techniques, for example. Setting goals that we can achieve will help us a lot to make better use of our work and make it much more bearable.
2. Control and be aware of your options
Like many, I would like to have a mansion, but I am aware that in my situation and the money I have, it will probably never happen. It is not an act of resignation or discouragement, but of acceptance To know where I am, where I come from, and where I can go with what I have and what I am doing. It’s about knowing what cards I have and knowing how to play them.
Not everything will always turn out the way we want. There will always be something that is out of our control and it is necessary to know how to deal with those situations First control your emotional state and the way it has affected you, and then put it into perspective and reflect on what you can do, the level of severity, change, threat, benefits and what is really a priority.
You may be interested in: “Frustration intolerance: 5 tricks and strategies to combat it”
4. Tolerate uncertainty
Following the previous point, Accepting that there will always be something that we cannot control or expect will alleviate many anxieties and discomfort r. This works especially in health and work contexts. Taking medical tests, waiting for results, going to job interviews… all of them are situations marked by enormous uncertainty. Managing the nervousness and worries caused by these events is essential to cope with day-to-day life.
5. Trust the specialists
People who are knowledgeable about a topic will be able to guide you better on topics that you are not familiar with and thus adjust your expectations on any topic. With a psychologist, for example, You will be able to have a more realistic idea of when you will be able to overcome that loss that has marked you so much and you will achieve this better than if you look for that information yourself or get ideas based on other non-specialized sources of information.
6. Live in the present and learn from mistakes
What we really have is today, this moment when you are reading this. We will never know 100% what will happen in a few days or a few months, but that does not mean that what we work on daily will lead us to a desired objective. Work day by day, be flexible, accept and combat changes and unforeseen events with all the elegance you can
We invite you to read this compilation: “25 positive phrases to better focus your day to day life”
Rethinking our future
After these tips you may feel that making films about the future and science fiction does not make any sense, but remember that films are still films, and that is why film directors are there to make them. ¡We create our own movie day by day and enjoy the filming!
