We all get disappointed from time to time and it can be very difficult to deal with. It can be devastating and life-altering. It’s apart life and there’s no getting around it. But disappointment can cause stress, anger or you may drown your disappointment in food. Here are 11 ways to deal with disappointment in your life.
1. Allow Your Feeling
While disappointment can make you feel dismayed, let down or betrayed, don’t push those emotions down. You must acknowledge those feelings. Ground yourself and put your feelings into words. Ask yourself, if what you are feeling is acceptable for the moment or is it being fueled by previous disappointments. If the disappointment stems from a pattern, try to concentrate on the present circumstance and remedy the problem. This could help prevent disappointments in the future.
2. Discuss It With a Friend or Family Member
Humans are social creatures. We form relationships with people and seek help from others in times of need. In fact, our forefathers and mothers lived in tribes with strong social links. These tribes helped to overcome famine, predators and environmental issues. Just as in the past, seek guidance from others. Seeking help from a friend or family member can give you a different outlook or broader perspective of the situation.
Having an intelligent conversation with someone will allow you to relieve your inner burden, sort things out and come to terms with the situation. This can assist you in regaining your footing and avoiding exaggerating things. They can also assist you in creating a strategy to help you move forward with your life.
3. Acknowledge Your Unmet Needs
Before you can remedy the situation, you have to know why your are disappointed. Identify what exactly is causing the disappointment. Figure out is it a unique scenario or a pattern. Once you understand the why, you can figure out how to work through your feelings. Then acknowledge how disappointed you are and decide whether you want to accept the situation or take action.
4. Look After Yourself
Self-care is crucial. Try to find ways to fulfill your unmet needs. Take a warm bath, go for a stroll or hang out with friends. This will lessen the stress of the situation. If you require more practical support, consider asking others for help or purchase services. What matters is that you don’t let the resentment fester. Instead of increasing the pain, keep your feelings in check and find a healthy solution.
5. Determine If You Need To Speak Out
Sometimes a situation is no one’s fault. Things can happen that are out of your control. But there are other times, when you may need to speak out. Before you speak, ask yourself, will this individual be able to receive message or will they get defensive? This is critical because you have to select your fights. Decide what exactly you want to get out of the talk. Do you want an apology or a promise not to make the mistake again? Be sure when you do have the talk, do it calmly. Try not to have an angry outburst that could exacerbate the situation. Prepare your remarks ahead of time so you can confront them with a level head.
6. Examine Your Expectations
This is a big one. We can’t expect everyone, especially ourselves, to be perfect. Doing this will set yourself up for constant disappointment. Consider asking yourself, will this matter in 5 years or 5 days? This will gauge on how you react to certain situations. Consider if your expectations are realistic. Did they have enough time to accomplish what you demanded from them. Were they in a good place to handle what you requested of them? Consider if you were clear and concise with what you wanted accomplished. If the person is a close friend or family member, consider kindness until there’s evidence otherwise.
In other words, don’t make mountains out of molehills. You can find yourself stuck in a cycle of negative emotions when things don’t work out like you planned. Take a break from this downward spiral. Relax and meditate. This will help you relax and wind down.
7. Set Boundaries If Needed
If you discover a pattern, try to figure out a way of preventing it from happening in the future. After speaking out, did the person refuse to accept responsibility or did they change their behavior? Do you need to lessen contact with the person or maintain a more informal relationship? If things don’t change for the better, speak with the person again. Make it clear what the results need to be. Set up boundaries to help you regain your sense of value and make you feel emotionally safe.
8. Learn From It
As previously stated, don’t dwell in your emotions. Think of it as a chance to learn and develop as a person. What is the take away from the situation? What should have I done differently? How do I prevent it from happening in the future? Maybe you could have communicated more effectively. You may need to spend less time with the people who disappoint you. Not only will you stop the disappointment cycle, but you will also feel better in the long run.
9. Develop More Resilience And Adaptability
As previously stated, things can happen that are out of our control. For this reason, learn how to concentrate on things you can control. As a result, it will be easy to accept disappointments and see them as a normal part of life. It’s normal to be dissatisfied sometimes. This is a transitory situation and you must find a way to progress. All things considered, this is the importance of resilience.
Things don’t always go as planned. Having a flexible attitude and being open to new possibilities will help you overcome disappointments. Research has shown the most effective ways to increase resilience is to develop realistic view of what is required in life. Then adapt accordingly.
10. Take A Break
We’ve mentioned this numerous times in this article. Self care is important. Often, taking a break can put you in a better position. Focusing too much on your career and objectives will cause undue stress and a loss of perspective. If you experience a setback, relax and have some fun to take your mind away from everything.
Once you have regained your composure, consider how to incorporate a better work/life balance. Just like the famous quote, “Work hard, play hard.” Not only will it be easier to deal with disappointment, but you can become more productive and psychologically focused.
11. Boost Your Self-Esteem
After experiencing a letdown, improving your self-esteem can go a long way. Both self-criticism and bad feelings can sink in. Additionally, you won’t feel so disappointed in yourself. You’ll handle disappointment with more clarity of mind and emotional stability. This will allow you not to shift the blame on others in order to feel better about yourself. Learn from the situation so you can achieve greater outcomes in the future.
These 11 ways to deal with disappointment are just a stepping stone to help you embrace and process your emotions. Be kind to yourself, find a way to solve your needs, speak up when necessary and create boundaries if needed. Above all, learn from your mistakes and don’t become discouraged by other people’s problems. Even though you didn’t want to be disappointed, you have a choice in how you react to it.
