Destination addiction is the new buzzword for having feelings of constant dissatisfaction with your life as it currently is. It can be described as your happiness being akin to a carrot dangling in front of a donkey. And no matter how hard that donkey tries, it’ll never reach the carrot. If this sounds familiar, then please continue reading.
Destination addiction is a state of mind where you’re always planning and scheming what your next step will be to being a happier person. It’s when you’re constantly thinking, “I’ll be happy when…,” instead of being happy with your current circumstances.
Best-selling author, Robert Holden, PhD, defines destination addiction as being “preoccupation with the idea that happiness is in the next place, the next job, and with the next partner. Until you give up the idea that happiness is someplace else, it will never be where you are.”
Of course, it’s human nature to daydream of things to come or to have ambition to work harder for a better life. However, when this urge for a happier life becomes an obsession, then it’s time to make a few changes.
How to know if you have destination addiction:
- No matter what you’re doing, you’re always planning for what comes next.
- You always plan that your next home will be your dream home.
- You’re never satisfied with your current job.
- You’re constantly looking for the next step in your life that will make you happier.
- You always feel that you should be further in life than you currently are.
- You rarely appreciate your current circumstances.
- You over-analyse and overthink every decision because you think it might change your life.
Ways to avoid destination addiction and living in the now:
- Know that you have it and make a willful change in your attitude.
- Be more grateful of you current circumstances, even if you have to start by writing down things you appreciate about your life.
- Live in the now. Meditation is a great way to teach yourself how to do this.
- Stop comparing your life to that of others. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind and that’s fine.
- Limit your time spent on social media to avoid comparing your life with others. People only share the best parts of their lives on social media.
- Create your own happiness by allowing yourself to live in the moment and enjoying your life as it is.
References:
Huffington Post
Promises: Behavioural Health
Robert Holden, Ph.D.