Expectations. Helpful or Not So Helpful?
Leading up to a final follow-up visit to the pediatrician for my son's prior mentioned illness, I was expecting to feel calm, relieved, and a sense of completion, based on my recent feelings on the ordeal.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
Parking Lot: Plenty of available parking
Me: Anxious
Receptionist: Friendly
Me: Anxious
Waiting Room Toys: Cool
Me: Anxious
Partner: Calmly reading food magazine
Me: Anxious
Doctor: Freshly shaven with hair product
Me: Anxious
My Son, Atticus: Cooperative
Me: Anxious
Outcome: Fine
Me: Anxious
WHY?
I don't know.
Maybe I was tired.
Maybe I would have felt anxious no matter what I was doing.
THE POINT IS...
It can be confusing, unsettling, and lead to further anxiety when expectations differ from reality, which is most of the time in my experience. Perhaps lowering expectations is an act of self-care.