What does it mean by planning ahead? Well, some plans may be concrete or non-concrete, and some plans are just plain simple than others. There is no exact or correct way to plan; the important thing is that we should not be pressured from thinking that we don’t have the freedom to plan things on our own or with other people. Everyone has the right to plan whatever it is and how to achieve it.
Little do most people know, planning brings a positive impact towards our mental health. A long-term plan for improving a skill or a hobby? Sure. A plan to buy yourself a treat from the mall or online store? No problem. A simple dinner for the next weekend? There is no stopping you from planning. And even better, planning for your self-improvement? That is your unalienable right.
Planning is a form of proactive coping which means that we are looking forward for the future or make future assessments that can help bring down our stress. And not only that planning can also be your key for your management for a quality of life on your own liking. According to Greenglass (2002), proactive coping is a forward-looking coping technique that can be done in many ways which includes both the processes of being able to control your quality of life through goal management and the good feeling of goal accomplishment for yourself when your plans are fulfilled. And with the act of planning ahead, we are not only managing our quality of life, we are turning to an optimistic way of looking at our daily lives. And according to Greenglass et al. (1999), due to the optimistic approach of coping to stress and being “proactive”, we are able to anticipate and deal with stress with more preparedness and emotional readiness, than the traditional coping of stress where we ponder ourselves on past stresses which affect our present thinking.
Planning ahead may seem challenging when we have a reactive mindset rather than a proactive one, but it is not impossible. Below are some suggestions (from various sources) on how to plan ahead and maintain an optimistic view in life:
- Be flexible (plans don’t have to be fixed) – sometimes plans don’t go smoothly or does not appear to be on schedule, but that is okay, because remember, this is your plan and you can change it anytime according to your liking.
- Create a list of your wants – planning can sometimes be a hard thing to start, so start a list of things you want to do and accomplish. You’d be surprised to see how much you want to do.
- Establish a routine – Always establish a routine where you give time for your plans, enjoy your plan, takes breaks, and go back to your day. With enough practice of routine, you would be motivated to go ahead with your plans and even plan for more things ahead.
- Give time for yourself – Always give time for yourself when planning. Always think of your own availability when doing plans; and also, during your plans, take breaks if your plans are physically or mentally extensive like exercise and learning.
- Celebrate the wins (a win is a win, no matter how small, it is progress) – If your plans are long-term, celebrate some of those little steps. Doing a complete exercise day one of a 30-day work-out period? That is a win. Learning how to draw basic figures with plans of advanced drawings and portraits, that is an absolute win. We are already winners if we take the first step into our plans.
- Manage your expectations – And as always, plans may be advanced, late, or on time. Plans may be short-term and become long-term or vice versa, so we must always manage our expectations so in the future our plans will always be fulfilled no matter how many hindrances come.
Planning ahead makes us acknowledge that there will be a future for us which makes proactivity such an effective approach in our mental health, and surely enough everyone deserves a future. So don’t be afraid to plan, for we all deserve a treat after all our hard work.
– Joshua Hernandez, Virtual Psychologist
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REFERENCES: Energy Sourcing. (n.d.). 11 Simple Things You Can Do to Plan for The Year Ahead. https://energyresourcing.com/blog/11-things-plan-for-the-year-ahead/
Greenglass, E. (2002). Proactive Coping and Quality of Life Management. Beyond Coping: Meeting Goals, Visions, and Challenges. 33. 10.1093/med:psych/9780198508144.003.0003
Greenglass et al. (1999) The Proactive Coping Inventory (PCI): A Multidimensional Research Instrument. York University. Toronto, Canada. https://estherg.info.yorku.ca/files/2014/09/pci.pdf
Sweeny, K. (2012). Waiting Well: Tips for Navigating Painful Uncertainty. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 6(3), 258–269. doi:10.1111/j.1751-9004.2011.00423.x
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