It’s inevitable in life that at some point you’ll face disappointment. This is particularly true of things that are beyond your control or that you’d been hoping for. It’s common in such circumstances for your mindset to shift from being empowered and abundant to feeling negative and disempowered.
When your world feels as though it has been knocked completely off its axis, it is also normal to experience a range of emotions, many times heavy, including everything from sadness to grief, betrayal, anger, worry, or even fear.
Know that it’s a fact of life as a human being that you have an entire spectrum of emotions that may be activated at any given time in relation to a particular situation. In that respect, you’re no different than all of the other billions of human beings here on this earth, myself included.
However, what is different and is very much within your control is how you choose to respond when life throws you a curve ball or wreaks havoc on your hopes and dreams.
During those times when you find yourself suddenly catapulted into the middle of Unpleasantville, it’s easy for the rational and logical part of your brain to go offline and for the emotive and subconsciously reactive part of your brain to automatically take over.
As such, you may notice your normally positive mindset tanking and veering toward the negative, heavy emotions starting to swirl and blanket you, and/or your behavior changing in ways that are self-sabotaging or unsupportive of creating more optimal outcomes for yourself.
When faced with disappointment, uncertainty, fear or other heavy emotions, here are some unhealthy behaviors that you’ll want to ensure that you avoid:
- Reacting angrily or taking action without first thinking through the consequences
- Shutting down, withdrawing or otherwise isolating yourself
- Ignoring or trying to shove down your feelings
- Wallowing excessively inside a pit of negative emotions
- Neglecting your physical, mental, and/or emotional well-being
- Engaging in unhealthy coping mechanisms to distract yourself
- Using alcohol, drugs, or other substances to self-medicate, numb, or check out
Always remember that nothing good is ever borne out of self-sabotaging behavior.
To help you re-empower yourself, elevate your mood and mindset, and get back on track toward more desirable outcomes, here are 8 of my professional tips that I personally use and regularly recommend to clients:
- Regularly check in with yourself and acknowledge how you are feeling. Only when you know what is going on inside yourself mentally and emotionally are you then able to take constructive action to improve your mood, mindset, and circumstances.
- Calm and regulate your nervous system. Engage in deep breathing exercises. Practice yoga or meditate. Get outside and connect with nature.
- Process the energy of your emotions and reset your emotional thermostat. Take a brisk walk, go for a run, hit a punching bag at the gym, or otherwise blow off some steam in a healthy way. Grab a pen and paper to pour out your emotions in writing then safely shred or burn what you’ve written.
- Engage in healthy internal dialogue. Remind yourself that in this moment you are safe. Tell yourself that you choose to focus on expansive new possibilities and viable solutions.
- Reflect then create and implement a plan of action. Once you’ve processed your emotions fully, brainstorm ideas to move forward in an empowered and productive manner. Take consistent action toward the outcomes you desire.
- Connect and surround yourself with positive and uplifting people. Be intentional about spending quality time with friends and loved ones as well as filtering out negativity.
- Consistently care for all aspects of your well-being. This includes physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Provide yourself with healthy amounts of sleep, exercise, nutrition, hydration, inner peace, joy, and love.
- Tap into and unleash your warrior spirit. Tell yourself that you are the powerful creator of your reality, you are an unstoppable force, and that nothing gets in the way of the good you desire to manifest!
Bringing It All Together
While it’s a fact of life that there will be moments in time that disappoint you, cause you worry and stress, or that outright tick you off, you have far more power than you may realize.
When low points in life occur, you can either give in to the whims of fate, allow yourself to descend into a spiral of negativity and ultimately give up, or you can choose to take decisive and empowered action that will positively shift your mood and mindset as well as the trajectory of your life moving forward. My hope for you is that you choose the latter.
