Due to the pandemic, most (if not all) shopping has to be done online. That means we’ve all been spending a lot of time waiting for our packages to arrive. Waiting for a package invokes a pretty standard set of emotions, so here are the stages of waiting for a package to arrive that we can all relate to.

Being annoyed at the estimated arrival dates

The first stage comes right after you’ve made the purchase: the estimated arrival dates. No matter what, that estimation will be annoying. Part of that is due to our own impatience, as no matter what day the package is estimated to arrive, it won’t be arriving that second. Therefore, you will sit impatiently and annoyed at how long it will take and how expensive shipping is.

Impatient for the shipping confirmation

The shipping confirmation, usually in the form of an email, is the first sign that things are happening. Before then, your package isn’t even moving toward you; it’s just sitting on a shelf somewhere, potentially thousands of miles away from your front door. That fact can easily make you angsty and can cause you to frequently check your email for any sign of that confirmation. Once you get that coveted confirmation, you can transition into the next stage of your wait. But until then, you’re stuck.

Checking the door every time a delivery truck goes by

Once you’ve gotten that shipping confirmation, every delivery truck that drives by could hold your package. At least that’s what it feels like when you’re in this stage. It’s likely that you’ll be compulsively opening the front door or checking your mailbox just to be sure you haven’t missed the arrival of your package. To leave this stage, either you burn yourself out and nearly forget about the package, or it finally arrives.

The package arrives

The last stage is the only one with an actual positive emotion attached to it. Once you get your package, you can expect a sense of relief and even some joy. That thing you ordered so long ago (regardless if it actually was a long time or if it just felt like it was) finally arrived. Time to enjoy your purchase until the initial dopamine rush wears off, and you’re back online to start the whole thing over again. Ah, consumerism!

After a year of dependency on online shopping, you should be well equipped to handle the wait. However, this list doesn’t cover the purchases you made while too drunk to remember. That wait can be summarized in one stage: surprise (or anguish) when you receive that one weird item drunk you thought was necessary. Either way, enjoy your online shopping — and remember to tip delivery and postal workers.