My wife tells me that I can't do this, and she's right. I rarely feel excited by things (especially now I'm in mid life) and faking it when I'm not is pretty much impossible.
The example she gives from years ago is that I exude boredom if we are out clothes shopping together, even if I'm genuinely interested in what she's buying. Thankfully, we don't do those kind of trips often anymore.
I'm *really* struggling at the moment to show enthusiasm for buying a new dog. My wife and step daughter are wetting themselves over it, and I wish the whole topic would just go away. We already have two dogs, that I do love and get lots of enjoyment from but had my arm twisted to get.
I love my wife so I want her to get a dog and enjoy the selection process, but I'm finding it really difficult not to come across grumpy about the whole thing because I just see hassle and expense that we don't need.
Sigh.
I'm not really looking for answers, I know the theory (and practice) of how to manage emotions and prepare for things, I'm just feeling grumpy and needing to vent, and I know this is in the box marked "first world problems". That said, I don't think it's doing my mental health any good :-(