Coping with Disappointment
As California closes down again because of the pandemic, I’ve been feeling some disappointment about plans we had made that are not going to happen.
I’m disappointed about not being able to do things we normally do in December, such as travel and lots of social events.
And I know that many of you are dealing with similar or even much bigger disappointments.
Here are three strategies that are helping me:
Accept reality. Resisting what is, with thoughts like, “This shouldn’t be happening,” just leads to more pain. One of my teachers is always reminding, “Life is 50/50 – half good and half bad. And thinking it should be different causes suffering.”
Process emotions. Emotions are just vibrations in our bodies. If we take a little time and process our feeling they can flow through. If we resist them they take on more power. To process the feeling of disappointment, get curious about how it shows up in your body. Tune into your body and ask questions such as, “Where do I feel this disappointment in my body? Does it have a size, color, shape, texture, tempo, temperature?” Just spend a little quiet time observing this emotion in your body, and usually it will start to shift and change.
Make the best of the situation. After you’ve given yourself space to process the emotion, shift your brain into creative mode rather than staying stuck mode. Gratitude is very powerful for shifting our brains, including thinking about all the ways that things could be worse. Use your creativity to brainstorm ways to make the best of the situation. Look for the silver lining in the situation. Look for ways to learn and grow. Do something that brings you joy.
We will get through these challenging times.
Please take good care of yourself. Our world needs your kindness, compassion, and empathy now more than ever!
Hugs,
Liz
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