Waiting sucks. And it’s really hard. Especially if the thing that you’re waiting for is something that you REALLY want. In the waiting, all of your biggest fears can take hold of your imagination. So too can all of your greatest fantasies. Each has endless time to play out (and drive you nuts).

It’s really tough to be in that place of suspension and not get too obsessed with what might not happen, or what might. And it’s easy, so easy, to go down either rabbit hole. The former can cause dread and anxiety over things that haven’t even happened and may never even turn out as badly as you think. All your lost sleep is preemptive and a waste. The latter, fantasizing about getting what you want, can easily create unhealthy attachments that don’t leave you open to the life in front of you, or the new paths opening up that might be different than what you think that you’re waiting for.

So what do you do then? When you’re waiting…

Well, as someone who has muscled my way through a lot of waiting, I can tell you that not driving yourself crazy in the waiting is way easier said than done. But it’s doable. And truly, we’re always going to be waiting for something. Here’s a few things I’ve found that can keep you feeling like you while you’re waiting for something else to happen, to show up, to occur, to be answered, to end…

Continue to choose yourself. Be and do all the things that help you love you while you’re waiting.

Remember that the answer to whatever you’re waiting for won’t fix you, make you, or change you. As happy as you are right now in the waiting, is relatively similar to the levels of joy you’ll feel once the waiting is through. Sit with that for a minute.

Connect, deeply. We can create such turmoil when we’re in our heads rather than in our lives. Connecting with your humans is a beautiful way to get out of that and back into what actually matters.

Quit strategizing. And be present. The answers, the outcomes, they’ll reveal themselves to you eventually. And once you’ve said all you can say, you’ve done all you can do, you’ve showed up…then you must minimize how much you’re preoccupied with what you’re waiting for and just trust. Because you can handle it all – good or bad.

Good things can take time, so much time. So let life unfold. Don’t force it. And find beauty in the bliss of waiting, even when it feels like hell and is driving you crazy.

Remember, you’re developing a beautiful strength. The kind that can only be learned from the in between.