Destination Addiction

Ok, so you’re probably thinking,

“What in the world is Destination Addiction?”

“Is it airborne?”

“Another disease?!”

“Have I already contracted it without knowing it?”

Before you ask yourself a million more questions, let me explain what Destination Addiction is. As stated online, Destination Addiction is “the idea that happiness is in the next place, the next job, or even the next partner. Until you give up the idea that happiness is somewhere else, it will never be where you are.”

While scrolling through the explore posts on Instagram (my favorite past time), I randomly clicked a post about it. I could relate to always wanting to be in the next moment, opposed to enjoying the here and now.

I found the idea of Destination Addiction intriguing so I did research on the topic. Dr. Robert Holden dedicated a blog post to the topic. He wrote, “People who suffer from Destination Addiction believe that success is a destination… Our goal is not to enjoy the day but get through the day.” As I was reading his post, I nodded my head. It’s so easy to fall into the habit of saying, “I can’t wait until the weekend” or “I can’t wait until the semester is over.” Most times, I don’t even realize that I’m feeling that way about a situation.

Finals week has been stressful because of the projects that I had to complete and the hours of studying I’ve been doing. On Wednesday, I had my final for my Honors Philosophy class. The night before the exam, I was stressing over taking the test. I re-highlighted specific notes that I knew my professor would ask about. I studied for an hour before bed and woke up early to do more studying.

On the day of the final, I couldn’t wait to get the test over with. I walked into class and tried to center my thoughts. I didn’t want to forget anything that I spent the whole night studying. During the exam, I felt confident while answering the short answer responses. As always, I was stressing out for no reason instead of trusting myself to know that I could pass the test. My Honors Philosophy class was one of my favorites this semester. My Professor, Ben Abelson was great at making the concepts easy to understand, even though they can be difficult at first. I liked hearing everyone’s personal stories as it related to the topic for the week. It was a great learning environment.

All of things that I loved about the course went through the window as I got ready to take my test. The stress of the situation made me focus on when the semester would be over. I should have enjoyed the last day more because it was the final time I would see some of my friends before they graduate.

It’s normal to want to get things over with but I don’t want it to become a habit. The present moment is what I should focus on. Sometimes, great things can happen right before my eyes but I miss it because I’m thinking about the next moment.

I love finding and reading inspirational quotes. I have some on my bedroom wall to start my day off with positivity. As luck would have it, I came across a quote that’s inspiring and relates to destination addiction.

“Honestly, my goal is to build a life, and career, where I’m not constantly waiting for the weekend. I don’t want to live that way, where I hate five days of the week because I hate my life and my job so much, that the only relief I get is Saturday and Sunday. I want to enjoy my life, and not wish it away every week. I want each day to matter to me, in some way. I want to like my life, all of it, not just my life on the weekend.”

It’s one of my favorite quotes to date. Beating destination addiction is about being as present in the moment as possible. I constantly worry about my future and achieving success. A good way to ease the worry is to do my best in the present. All the work that I’m putting in now effects my future so I should be present and it enjoy it to the fullest. So, if you feel that you have destination addiction just like I do, all hope isn’t lost. Learning to find happiness in the here and now is a starting point to realizing the moment you’re in is the most important.