Enduring a bone-crushing disappointment can feel like an insurmountable challenge. Yet, it's in these moments of profound grief that we discover our resilience. Let's explore the journey of healing, learning to navigate the waves of disappointment, and emerging stronger on the other side.
How do you cope with crushing disappointment?
First, it’s important not to suppress the feeling.
- Once you have sat with your negative feelings for what you have decided is long enough, there are small acts of mental health hygiene that will foster a more positive outlook.
- Gratitude diaries, exercise, expressive writing, getting excellent sleep and music are all good for mood enhancement.
If that doesn’t work, try and imagine it’s a piece of fiction
“I was doing a poetry gig once, and this fella stood up and said: ‘I’m going to the toilet now, if you say something funny while I’m out, let me know.’ At the time, I was cut to the quick, but if I fictionalized it by putting myself in the third person… I could become a woman, or she could become detective inspector Ian McMillan. He doesn’t care what that fella said.”
The key difference between accepting pain and positivity is that the one is rooted in where you are now
Letting yourself feel your disappointment deeply is important because if you numb one of your emotions you numb all of them
- You cannot exist only in your most euphoric moments
- If you reconcile yourself to feeling sad, and allow yourself to feel it fully, it amounts to putting a positive spin on things
