Scroll down for tips on creating a plan to move on from disappointment. It\u2019s important to come up with ways to cope with this feeling because if you don\u2019t address it, it can snowball and lead to bigger mental health challenges. \u201cDisappointment can shake our sense of control and trigger emotional responses that can lead to anxiety, anger, or sadness,\u201d Kushnir says. Again, being kind toward yourself and validating the feeling can help you ride out a wave of disappointment. Sometimes focusing your energies or attention on something else meaningful to you helps lessen the intensity of the feeling. If you have already acknowledged and validated your feelings of disappointment, then distracting yourself can be a helpful coping strategy to get through the wave.<\/p>\n
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By focusing on what you can change, learning from setbacks, and seeking support when needed, disappointment can become a stepping stone for personal growth. The worst thing you can do when dealing with disappointment is allow your thoughts to take over your life. So if you find yourself doing this, know that you\u2019re human but also that it\u2019s an unhealthy thing to do.<\/p>\n
For example, instead of obsessing over a missed opportunity, go for a run or start a creative project to shift your energy. Disappointment can hurt deeply, leaving you feeling stuck, frustrated, and hopeless. Disappointment is an emotion that many of have a difficult time understanding and managing. For instance, when your favorite sports team loses the championship game (as ours did recently in Western Australia), it can be a bitter blow indeed. From giving the brain a good workout to improving social connection, there are some wonderfully surprising benefits of learning a new language. The goal is to become someone who can absorb it without losing direction.<\/p>\n
Tate recognized their roommates\u2019 trip may not have been meant to exclude them personally. Considering other possibilities helped to reduce the intensity of their disappointment. Third, they reminded themselves that all emotions fade and pass in time. While disappointment is an uncomfortable emotion, Tate understood they wouldn\u2019t always feel this way. Finally, after identifying and validating their feeling of disappointment, Tate engaged in distraction by going for a walk, helping them \u201cride the wave\u201d of their disappointment. A mental health professional will talk you through your feelings and help you learn how to handle them.<\/p>\n
If you demand or expect perfection from yourself or from other people then you\u2019ll often be disappointed. Tapping into gratitude in this way helps me to put things into perspective and to not let a disappointment overwhelm me and derail my whole week. To move on shift your focus to what you still got in your life. Everyone who is now successful and you may look up to have had his or her share of disappointments and failures.<\/p>\n
Maggie is passionate about creating better work and greater opportunities for all. For example, if you\u2019re passed over for a promotion, you can\u2019t control the company\u2019s decision, but you can control your work performance, attitude, and pursuit of new opportunities. Hearing how others have overcome disappointment can offer hope and perspective. For example, if a long-term relationship ends, accepting that it\u2019s over allows you to heal and open yourself to new possibilities.<\/p>\n
I would like to jump to the 5 ways to overcome disappointments. However, understand that your goal is a reflection of an underlying desire. It is merely one of the many ways to fulfill your desire. When you are disappointed, your source of disappointment is rooted in your attachment to a certain outcome. When the outcome does not happen the way you envisioned, you become disappointed. This is part 3 of a 4-part series on how to deal with disappointment.<\/p>\n