Understanding Anticipation: When Waiting Shapes Our Feelings
Navigating the In-Between with the EMBRACE CERV PROJECT Squad 🌱
Anticipation is a natural part of growing up. Waiting for what comes next can bring excitement, hope, and curiosity, but also worry, tension, and impatience. Whether a child is waiting for a birthday, a school trip, exam results, or a parent to come home, the “in-between” moments can be emotionally intense.
As part of the EMBRACE PROJECT #KnowEmotions campaign, we explore emotions through the lens of psychologist Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, where anticipation plays a key role in helping children imagine the future, prepare for what is coming, and cope with uncertainty. On the wheel, anticipation sits opposite to distraction. This reminds us that waiting requires attention, emotional awareness, and often support from others.
Why Anticipation Matters for Well-being
Research shows that anticipation is closely connected to well-being and mental health. Anticipating positive events can strengthen motivation, build hope, and increase positive emotions. Neuroscience studies suggest that when people look forward to positive experiences, brain areas linked to emotional regulation and well-being become more active. In simple terms, imagining something good in the future can already make us feel better in the present.
At the same time, anticipation is not always comfortable. Waiting can activate uncertainty and stress. Children may feel restless, worried, or impatient when they do not know what will happen next. For some, especially those who struggle with anxiety, anticipation of future events can become overwhelming. This is why learning to recognize and name anticipation as an emotion is so important. When children understand what they are feeling while waiting, they gain more control over how they respond.
Anticipation in Everyday Life
In daily life, anticipation appears in many small moments:
- waiting for a celebration, holiday, or special visit
- waiting for feedback, test results, or an important decision
- waiting to speak in class or try something new
- waiting for routines to change, such as moving to a new school or class
These moments can trigger mixed emotions at the same time. A child might feel excited and nervous, hopeful and worried. Helping children notice this emotional mix builds emotional literacy and supports healthier coping strategies.
Watch our EMBRACE animation on anticipation:
English: https://youtu.be/Xa8NaruPbx4
Romanian: https://youtu.be/l7S92nzF7hI
When adults acknowledge that waiting can be emotionally challenging, children feel seen and supported. Simple strategies can help:
- naming the feeling (“It sounds like you’re feeling excited and nervous at the same time”)
- offering structure and predictability (“This is what will happen next”)
- using calming techniques such as breathing or grounding
- creating small positive moments while waiting
These small steps support children in developing emotional regulation skills that are valuable far beyond the moment of waiting.
Why Emotional Literacy Matters
Emotional literacy begins with awareness. When children learn to recognize anticipation, they become better equipped to cope with uncertainty, manage expectations, and stay emotionally balanced in changing situations. Over time, this supports resilience, confidence, and well-being.
By promoting emotional literacy, participatory learning, and resilience, the EMBRACE PROJECT supports children, families, and educators in navigating emotions connected to waiting, change, and uncertainty.
👉 Try the interactive Anticipation Quiz:
▪ ENGLISH: https://www.menti.com/alk2bem31d3n
▪ ROMANIAN: https://www.menti.com/alzir9tbmooz
Source: NIH, Well-being and Anticipation for Future Positive Events: Evidences from an fMRI Study
