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Advice?
Does anyone have any advice for how to live in the moment, and just to be happy in the here and now? I'll explain....
It seems like I'm constantly "counting down" to something. Whether it's a visit with friends, a big vacation, the next holiday, the next time I get to sleep in, etc etc. My job requires me to work 5 days during the week (and I work long hours... usually 8:30am to 6:30 or 7pm), so I get drained sometimes after working so much and the only thing that I can think about to keep my spirits up are these things that I look forward to.
I have so many "countdowns" going right now that my calendar is full. Which means - life is good again after my annulment, and I'm busy and I should be happy, but I guess I just feel like I'm always living for the future (or for the weekends). And obviously, today being a Monday - I'm just down in the dumps. I'd give anything to not be at work right now. 
Re: Advice?
I actually think this is pretty normal and I'd guess that almost all of us do it to some degree. I think as long as your countdowns don't have to be huge and expensive, something along the lines of "I'm looking forward to Monday night because my favorite tv show is on, or I'm going on a run with friends, etc." Where I can see this being a challenge is if in the moment of doing these activities, you're not enjoying it and counting down to the next one.
If work sucks, it can be hard to enjoy it in the moment and if looking forward to something is what helps get you through then I think it's fine. I also have found that when my job sucks, looking for and applying for jobs helps keep my spirit up. I feel like it means I won't be at my job forever.
Do you like your job?
I like mine so I enjoy being here. But I also look forward to what I packed for lunch, running the dogs at night, going to the gym, catching up with friends on the phone, making a yummy dinner...not just the big stuff. Thatw ay I have a few things to look forward to every day.
At the risk of sounding too deep and silly, I am sharing what works for me.
Many of us do this and I go to weekly therapy mainly for this reason. For now, my exercise is to breathe!
Just stop yourself in the moment and breath... asks yourself, are you breathing in or out? Then look at your surroundings, allow yourself to feel what you feel, even if you don't understand them. This part is really hard because we often keep busy or think about the future because we don't want to feel what we are feeling at the moment. I promise, the bad feelings don't last very long when we allow our self to feel them.
I know this sounds silly but it works. This is something I constantly have to remind myself to do all the time and then focus what is happening right before me. Another good thing is to do during this time is observe other people while you sit back. Listen to what they are saying, how they act and etc. I really learn a lot from this and realize things are different than how I originally perceive things to be. I have more compassion for others and now feel more alive knowing I am not alone if that makes any sense. This method really helps me learn more about myself and how I relate to people and circumstances. It?s like an adventure when I try to ask myself why I feel or think the way I do at the very moment. Next thing I know a lot of things going on in life and there is so much movement that new changes in life are happing before my eyes.
As the others have said, I think we all do this to a point. I know I've struggled with all of this for a long time (I'm a serial planner). I feel like I've spent the last several years of my life planning for the future without actually living. A couple of things I have done are spend time reflecting - pick out at least 1 or 2 good things about each day. The other thing I've done is just change the things in my life (within reason) that I don't like. Also, plan more short term things that you love that way you still have things to look forward to, but that you actually get to enjoy right away.
There is nothing wrong with planning and looking forward to things, its just all about balance and making sure there are things everyday that you enjoy.
Thanks all. I guess it's good to know that this is pretty normal. I talk with my coworkers about this a lot too, and it seems like we're all counting down to something. Happy hour, a camping trip, a friend coming to visit, getting a mani / pedi, what have you. Our jobs are high pressure / high stress (placed on us by upper management), so a lot of us get burnt out I think. It's the little things in life that help with stress relief.
But mostly, I do like the job and the work - I just wish I had the freedom to make my own schedule and not be tied down to overly long hours at my desk.
I do have the feeling sometimes that I'm sort of waiting for my life to begin... but I really think I need to re-adjust my thinking because my life is here and now. It's happening now. It's not just going to somehow start when I buy a house, settle down, get married again, have kids, etc. So I'm going to work on that