A waiting list gives hope a number without giving it a date.

A position on a list looks like information and behaves like uncertainty. It tells you where you stand without telling you when anything will happen, so it invites you to keep calculating and never lets the sum close. That is tiring in a particular way, because a mind treats a number as something it ought to be able to solve. Waiting without a date is harder than waiting a long time with one.

If you are on a list that matters, it can help to ask what usually moves it and how often positions change; then build the coming weeks around living rather than around the number.