Body-positive influencer Jaimmy Koroma noticed an irksome trend on Pinterest: hundreds of boards titled Things Ill Wear When Im Skinny, or a variation of that theme. So she started posting videos of herself on Instagram in various outfits to prove that any body can wear any trend. Shes highlighting the common trap people can fall into when setting goalsweight-focused or otherwisein which happiness is contingent upon achievement. If you expect to find happiness by attaining something, changing something, or being someone else, you’re experiencing arrival fallacy, a term coined by Harvard-trained psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar.Arrival fallacy is basically the repackaging of motivation, says Brent Macdonald, psychologist and associate professor at Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. When people set goals for themselves and achieve them, they can then be left with this kind of voidthey’ve got them and theyre still not happy, says Macdonald. They may experience brief contentment, but it doesnt last, and so they may feel depressed, or look for another objective. Alternatively, they may never achieve the goal and blame such failure for their unhappiness.But, that doesnt mean we shouldnt have hopes and plans for the future. Theyre essential to our growth, as were ‘future-oriented’ species”, according to Tal Ben-Shahar. So, how can we embrace the benefits of goal-setting and also avoid arrival fallacy?Here, Macdonald’s five ways to make healthy goals and avoid disappointment:
1. Avoid thinking Ill be happy when
This is a sign your happiness in life depends on certain achievements. Thinking Ill be happy when [I get a new job, move to a new city, get married] poses a threat to your mental health because youre associating the goal with happiness, says Macdonald. The problem with that is happiness isnt a guarantee, nor is it a constant state. Instead, you should be asking yourself what makes me happy now? and concentrating on that.
2. Enjoy the journey instead of wishing for the outcome.
Focusing on the process of the goal as opposed to the end result is your best bet, says Macdonald. He gives the example of a weight loss objective: The idea of [collecting pictures of] things Ill wear when I’m skinny carries with it a significant amount of judgment about body image, he says. The belief that skinny is somehow the pinnacle of physical desirability is deeply problematic and really concerning. In this case, shift your focus to the presentwhat would make you happy to wear right now?
3. Be realistic.
Arrival fallacy comes into play when we set up goals for ourselves that are kind of unrealistic, says Macdonald. Right now, we have a lot of unrealistic expectations of what the vaccine will dohow its going to change our lives and everything is going to return to pre-COVID functioning, says Macdonald. Realistically, that’s not going to happen, so we’re setting ourselves up for disappointment. Instead, create goals you have control over, including smaller wins like meditating every day, which youre more likely to achieve.
4. Take inventory of the positives in your life.
“Were allowed to not experience joy 100 percent of the time, says Macdonald. Keep your eye on what makes you happy in the moment. The most effective way to do this, and what I recommend to my clients, is to take a deep breath and think about one positive thing that’s happening in your life, he says. Sometimes even just that deep breath, that moment of calm, is in itself the positive.
5. Concentrate on your relationships.
The number one predictor of happiness[is the] quality time we spend with people we care about and who care about us, says Ben-Shahar. Macdonald agrees: Developing better relationships and building those relationships will help us feel better. The benefits of supportive relationships far outweigh any other positive aspect in life, including money, status, and education. Everything is superseded by relationships, says Macdonald. So if your goal is to develop better relationships, youre probably not going to have to deal with arrival fallacy.Next: 9 Lessons from Yale Universitys Popular Course on Happiness
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