I recently got some disheartening news. I was tidying my room jamming to some new music and I randomly decided to check my email. At the top of my inbox was an email for a job I had applied to. It was a great job opportunity. I knew I would enjoy the work, the salary, the hours, and the commute were great. I had eve went back for a second and third interview. The last person that interviewed me told me to expect a call within the next week with more information about the hiring process. I was elated. My happiness turned to confidence and my confidence ballooned into arrogance. I thought the position was mine even though it was never directly promised. And then I got the email telling me the position had been given to another candidate.
And just like that my ego shriveled up.
I’d like to think that I deal with disappointment well. This isn’t my first time at the disappointment rodeo. I thought I would share some tips on dealing with the disappointments life may throw your way.
- It’s okay to be sad.
Cry, yell, scream, have a fabulous pity party. But not for long. When I’m down I give myself a space to be human and grieve whatever it is that happened to me. Give yourself a time limit to be sad. But make sure you pick yourself back up, the sun still rises out of the darkness everyday.
2. Make a plan.
Set goals for yourself. How do you plan on overcoming this situation? Was there something you could have done differently to change the circumstances? Make a plan A, B, C, and D. Envision a best and worst case scenario. Prepare for the worst and strive for the best case scenario. Making plans can help to ease some of the anxiety you have about your disappointment because you taking steps to initiate change for the better.
3. Find a support group or an accountability partner
Sharing disappointments may be embarrassing but harboring a secret embarrassment and navigating it by yourself is an extremely lonely process. Confiding in someone else may be scary but it’s also uplifting. You can have an ear to empathize with your situation and also offer fresh perspective on your circumstances. Support groups and accountability partners not only offer a listening ear but those individuals can help keep you on track to change. They hold you accountable for making the steps to get up and through that situation. A text or a call every now in than reminding you how far you’ve come reminding you to stay on track can make a big difference.
4. Look forward
Living in the past is a dangerous thing to do. But we are humans and it’s inevitable to think about past situations. Try to look forward. Take what lessons you can from whatever situation you are/were in and take that with you as you move forward.
I really hope this article can help someone deal with a difficult time. If it did help be sure to comment below or use the #SeriousMomentwithMarsha hashtag on social media!
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