We all have disappointments.

We all have things that we’re hoping will happen, but they just don’t happen in the end.

So, what do we do when those disappointments come?

How do we deal with those things that don’t go the way we were hoping for?

Managing My Own Disappointment

This week, I was supposed to be heading to a friend’s birthday celebration in North Carolina.

There is a very large group of people attending, and I have been looking forward to it for months.

But two days before the flight, I tested positive for Covid.

I feel like I was hit by a speeding train. Honestly, I feel horrible.

But my biggest concern is that I could pass it on to someone else, and they would feel just as horrible as I do.

I don’t want that for anyone. So, obviously, we made the decision not to go.

Am I disappointed?

I am completely disappointed.

This was supposed to be a weekend away with my husband and all of our close friends.

And instead of packing for our fun weekend away, I am now isolating in a bedroom in my house so that I don’t infect anyone else.

Believe me when I say there is some major disappointment there.

But when we have situations like this, what do we do?

How We React Will Make All the Difference

I always say to my kids when things like this happen, “Well, it is what it is.” Because there’s not really anything that anyone can do about it. It simply is.

This is the situation I’m currently facing, and I now get to choose how I’m going to react to it.

While I absolutely believe that it’s okay, and even healthy, to be frustrated and angry about the situation, it is not okay to get stuck there.

It’s important that we allow ourselves to feel all the feelings that come when things don’t go our way—and then let it go and move on.

We have to make sure that we don’t get so focused on our unmet expectations that we fail to move forward from them.

If all we do is focus on what we’re disappointed about, there’s no way we will be able to move in a forward trajectory.

And when we can’t move forward, there’s no way to make things better for the future. We just sit there stuck in our own misery.

How we react to our disappointment will determine how quickly we can bounce back and feel hopeful again.

We have to remember that whatever disappointment we are experiencing, it’s not the end of our story, it’s just a bump in the road.

All Disappointments are Valid

Obviously, my current disappointment is minor compared to other disappointments in life.

But it was still a disappointment, and any disappointment that we have is valid.

Rather than comparing our experiences with others, we need to give ourselves grace and allow ourselves the time we need to move through those emotions.

We have to feel the emotions over the loss of something we’re hoping for, even if it doesn’t seem that big of a deal to other people.

A loss is a loss, and we have to allow ourselves time to feel the sadness that comes from that loss.

No matter what your disappointment is, it’s valid. And it’s okay to be frustrated and sad about it.

Once you’ve worked through all the emotions that come from experiencing disappointment, get back up, brush yourself off, and start moving forward again.

Let Go of FOMO

So much of our society is motivated by FOMO, the Fear of Missing Out.

We have to realize that sometimes, we’re going to miss out. It’s an ordinary part of life, and there’s not really anything we can do about it.

Still, it’s natural to feel negative emotions over missed opportunities. But you can’t get stuck in FOMO because it will slowly steal away the joy you can find in the moments.

Every experience has sparks of joy, even disappointment. But when we’re stuck in FOMO, we miss those moments.

We’re so afraid of what we’re missing that we don’t even recognize what we already have.

But there is actually a pretty easy way to remedy that. Rather than living in fear of what we missed, we need to focus on all the good things that are ahead of us.

Sure, it’s disappointing that I’m missing out on a fun weekend with my husband and friends.

But as I sit around staring at my walls for the next few days, I’m going to stop thinking about what I’m missing out on and remind myself of all the fun things I have coming up in the future.

Rather than looking back at the past with regret, we need to look to the future with hope and optimism for all the good that is yet to come.

Keep Moving Forward

When disappointment comes, it’s so easy to get stuck in our emotions.

But we can’t allow our emotions to keep us from moving forward.

As we keep an attitude of gratitude and put one foot in front of the other, we will gradually move through our disappointment and come out as a better person on the other side of it.

This positive progression will enable us to more easily overcome life’s challenges and find ourselves in a better place.

No matter what comes, we must make the conscious choice to keep on moving.

While standing still keeps us stuck in the same position, taking even one step can help us start to see things from a whole new perspective.

And as we take those steps forward, it will be much easier to navigate the challenges that are put in front of us.

We are all going to struggle with disappointments in life.

But we get to decide for ourselves how we will react to those disappointments when they come.

As for me, I choose to face this disappointment with a smile as I think about all the good things yet to come.