FEELING LET DOWN

Disappointment is part of life, but you can learn to process it in such a way that it won't overwhelm you or hold you back

- JACQUES MYBURGH

SOMETIMES your plans don’t work out and you can just shrug it off as part of life. But there are also times when having your hopes and expectations dashed can feel like a lead weight in your stomach.

Disappointment can be a bitter pill to swallow, and there’s no doubt that two years into the pandemic we’ve all had our share of setbacks, thwarted goals and upended plans to deal with.

Disappointment is a simple, completely understandable feeling. “It happens when you feel sad or unhappy because an expectation or hope hasn’t been fulfilled,” says Johannesburg life coach Nelene Flemming.

It’s a completely natural reaction, confirms Rean Steenkamp, a life coach from Pretoria. “It’s just as natural as it is to feel pain when someone steps on your toe, or anger when someone provokes you,” he adds.

But disappointment can gnaw at you and weigh you down – and that’s problematic as it can have a lasting impact on your life, bogging you down in blame, self-doubt or bitterness, and even leading to depression.

“When someone doesn’t process their disappointment and instead lets it fester and steal their joy, it becomes unhealthy,” Steenkamp says.

Here’s how to deal with disappointment in a healthy way.

1 EXPECT IT

The only way to avoid disappointment would be to not have any expectations at all – which is, of course, impossible. Without expectations, hopes, dreams and goals, life would be dull and depressing. But with all these things comes the possibility of disappointment.

In fact, it’s inevitable – which is why it’s so important to learn to deal with it.