Disappointment doesn’t feel good. The feeling arises usually when you expect something to happen that doesn’t. Or you’re hoping for something and you get something else. This happens to all of us. No one goes through life without ever having an expectation that didn’t pan out. So how do you deal with the disappointment?
Disappointment is like any other feeling. It’s not attached to you, so you can choose to hold on to it or choose to let it go. Like worry, there’s no benefit to holding onto disappointment. None whatsoever. Even still, we often will for a while. We may tend to carry on and complain about the situation in hopes of gaining sympathy, empathy, or something we feel may offer some comfort. But in reality, it doesn’t change a thing about the situation. It is what it is, and it already happened so the chances of changing it are zero.
Why not opt to find a way of feeling better sooner, opposed to rolling around in a feeling that doesn’t serve you? Be honest about it. Do you want to feel good? If you do, then let it go. Accept that it’s happened, it’s over, and that there’s nothing that you can do to change that fact.
You might as well let go of the sadness, the anger if you feel that too, the why me, the why not me, and any feelings that your life has just been devastated. Why? Because you can. Because you are still alive and breathing. And if you’re still alive and breathing, you still have choices in front of you in every moment. What you expected didn’t come to pass and you didn’t get what you wanted – so now what?
What do you want to do now? I recommend you honestly acknowledge your disappointment to yourself – express it if you’d like. Then let it go; drop the feeling like a hot potato because you can just that quickly and easily. Try it. If it helps, talk to someone about letting it go or write about it and get it all out. But ultimately, get rid of it! Then make some decisions to move on and begin to take focus on what’s going to feel better to you right now and moving forward. Think about what will get you to feeling better, then do that.
It’s a waste of time to hold onto feelings that don’t serve you and will do nothing to help you move forward in any way. Practice allowing yourself to become non-resistant in situations that result in feeling bad (i.e. “hmmm. I don’t like this, but it is what it is and I can’t do anything about that. What do I want to do now?”).
Then take advantage of the absolute power you have on your own attitude, and realize that you always have a choice in front of you. Then go forward to deciding how you will move on with a focus into something that you will feel better in.
Try again, only different this time. Put your focus onto something that you enjoy doing and let your passion be your freedom. Find a way to help someone else in some way. There are many options to finding the place where feeling good replaces your disappointment. Remember the saying: This too shall pass. And truly, it always does.
