How to Bounce Back from Disappointments

Lisa Franchi February 27, 2014

You can’t always get what you want. Failures are bound to happen. We all make mistakes. Yes, we all know this. But that doesn’t change the fact that disappointments hurt.

The good news is that you can get over it. After the hurts and aches, you are going to uncover the hidden message – a life lesson that will contribute to your future success. Most likely, you will start with acceptance. Then you will contemplate – what went wrong? Lastly, you will learn the lesson and carry it with you as you move forward and carry on with your life.

But as to how long it would take before you reach this point all depends on you. If you find it hard to effectively deal with disappointments you encounter in life, consider the following suggestions:

Smile, even if you don’t want to. Do something to cheer yourself up – watch a funny movie, read a comic book, and so on. Force a smile, if not a laugh, to trigger the process of emotional shifting. Even forced smiles and laughter allow your brain to release hormones that make you feel better and promote your sense of well-being.

Pay attention to the good things. Gratitude is your biggest weapon against disappointments. So what if this company didn’t hire you? There are more companies out there. So what if you failed? You can always try again. Take the opportunity to reflect on what you are grateful for in the moment. If there’s one thing that’s giving you disappointment, think of 5 things that give you a sense of pride and achievement. Try it, it really works!

Hold on to what you value the most. Recall at least 5 things that have helped you get through a past challenge. These things best represent what is important to you and what really it is that makes you happy.

Do away from the things that stress you, at least for now. Make things lighter and easier for yourself and do your best to lessen the effect of stress on your body. Pamper yourself by going to the spa, getting a new haircut, having a cup of coffee with a friend, etc.

Practise seeing the bright side of life. Look at disappointments not as stumbling blocks but opportunities for learning and becoming better. By incorporating optimism in your daily life, you are helping yourself build resilience against difficulties. Over time, you will realise that you no longer easily get affected by disappointments.

Engage in a sport. Physical activity is one efficient way to shift your emotion from bad to good. Engage in a sport, learn martial arts, enrol in a gym, or just turn the music nice and loud and start grooving. All these can have a significant impact on your mood.

Reward yourself. When we are going through disappointing moments, the least we want to do is pamper ourselves. But you need some downtime to recharge and be able to deal with disappointments more effectively. Think of activities or things that give you pleasure. It could be baking, planting, fishing, and watching a movie, and so on.

Moving on from disappointment can take time. If the sadness and frustration are already interfering with your daily life, consider seeking help from a trained therapist.