Mobile Menu

  • Home
  • About Liggy
  • Books
    • Printed books
    • Digital books
  • Services
    • Webinars
    • Presentations
    • TV & Media
    • Learning
    • Resilience
  • Blog
    • Blog
    • Newsletters
    • Free resources
  • Contact Liggy
  • Help
    • FAQ – Digital BiteSized books
    • Digital BiteSized books – installation instructions
    • Shipping and delivery
  • Login
  • Search
  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

cart-icon

Liggy Webb

Award-winning presenter and author

  • Home
  • About Liggy
  • Books
    • Printed books
    • Digital books
  • Services
    • Webinars
    • Presentations
    • TV & Media
    • Learning
    • Resilience
  • Blog
    • Blog
    • Newsletters
    • Free resources
  • Contact Liggy
  • Help
    • FAQ – Digital BiteSized books
    • Digital BiteSized books – installation instructions
    • Shipping and delivery
  • Login
  • Search

Positively dealing with disappointment

You are here: Home / General / Positively dealing with disappointment

22-Dec-2020 //  by Liggy

Well I must admit I had a little cry on Saturday afternoon when I heard the news that Christmas 2020 is not going to be quite the one we had imagined. For so many people this time of year is associated with human connectivity and bringing loved ones together.

I have also spoken to so many people recently who have been hanging their hopes on Christmas as something to really look forward to and keep them going through these strange and difficult times.

Whilst hope on the horizon is a great personal motivator it’s also well worth adopting a flexible mindset in this volatile and unpredictable world that we live in. When we hope for something, we invariably attach a certain amount of expectation to the outcome. So, when we brew up a cauldron of expectation and the outcome doesn’t live up to what we had anticipated, we become disappointed.

Disappointment is one of life’s most uncomfortable feelings and it can be a complex emotion triggering a whole subset of other emotions like sadness, hurt and even anger. Disappointment can bring with it a grey perspective of life and niggle our minds and cast a shadow. In a way the emotion of disappointment is akin to grief because it comes with finality and a sense of loss. It forces us to admit that we don’t have, didn’t get, or may never achieve what we wanted to. 

Whilst we may vacillate between feelings of sadness and regret, it can potentially make us feel angry, because, in an obstinate way, anger will allow us to continue idealising about what could have been. Getting to the point of accepting that not everything will always go the way we want it to will be useful in terms of helping us to move on. It’s also important not to become negative about having hopes and aspirations, however, being open minded and flexible and not getting overly attached to the outcome is a helpful approach.

So how do we deal with disappointment?

Tip one – Experience the emotion

In a world where everything is about trying to speed up the process, sometimes we don’t always allow ourselves the time to just stop and experience the emotion. Feelings of guilt attached to shedding a tear or being self-indulgent can create a sense of obligation to ‘just get over it’. Fighting and suppressing negative emotion is unhelpful, no matter how painful, it is better to be present with the emotion so that you can process it in the most constructive way and then move on to more positive ways of viewing the situation.

Tip two – Put it into perspective

Perspective is a wonderful thing and very often we don’t allow ourselves the time and space to step away from our situation so we can get a more balanced viewpoint. Writing down exactly what you expected and what exactly you feel disappointed about can help you to articulate and untangle some of the niggles in your mind. Talking to someone you trust and who you can be totally honest with can also help with gaining a better perspective. It’s good to be able to get things off your chest so that you can then constructively move on.

Tip three – Be open minded and open hearted

Essentially, we can choose how we respond to disappointment.  Allowing feelings of negativity and bitterness to bubble away and choosing to wallow in a pool of upset and frustration simply isn’t a good use of energy. Accepting changes that we can do nothing about will help us to use our precious energy to fuel positive emotions and influence things that are in our control.

Tip four – Practise gratitude

Gratitude is one of the most powerful and healing emotions that we can all experience. By focusing our minds on all the things, we have and that we are grateful for can help us to stop dwelling on all the things we don’t have or are disappointed about. When you start to become consumed with feelings of disappointment focus your mind to think about three things in your life right know that you are truly grateful for.

Counting our blessings in times of strife is a much more constructive approach to life 

When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in.

Kristin Armstrong


For updates for future blogs, free webinars and various other useful resources please do join my newsletter.

Click here to sign up to my newsletter

Related Posts

You may be interested in these posts from the same category.

The beauty of keeping things simple

Loneliness – 10 ways to feel less lonely

The Power of Community

Stress and self-pressure

Energise and declutter

Digital Wellbeing

Mood Booster webinar

How to get into work mode again after the holidays

Festive wellbeing

The Power of Hope

Leading Winter Wellbeing Webinar

Celebrating World Mental Health Day

Previous Post: « Liggy Webb talks about her new BiteSized book on mood boosting
Next Post: 2021 – How to get off to a positive start »

Primary Sidebar

Signup to Liggy’s newsletter…

Shop for BiteSized books

Recent Posts

The beauty of keeping things simple

27-Jun-2025

Loneliness – 10 ways to feel less lonely

01-Jun-2025

The Power of Community

27-Apr-2025

Stress and self-pressure

31-Mar-2025

Categories

  • General
    • Burnout
    • Positive thinking
    • Resilience
    • Self care
  • TV & Media
    • Presentation videos
    • Radio interviews
    • Videos
  • Webinars
  • Wellness

Footer

Rhona Martin MBEOlympic Gold Medallist

Liggy’s book Resilience is a truly motivational read!

James SavvaDiversity and Inclusion Program Manager - House of Commons

Liggy’s approach to wellbeing and resilience is effective and incredibly accessible giving her work a universal edge. Her natural warmth, empathy and kindness is engaging, and her ability to break what can be an overwhelming topic into digestible and practical tips is a gift I am extremely grateful to have experienced.

Jane BillP&O Passenger

I thoroughly enjoyed Liggy’s presentations on the pursuit of happiness and related topics. Some expert tips delivered in a direct, simple and humorous manner ensured an interesting, but not too taxing, learning experience. She left me wanting to know more! A great excuse for another cruise!

Matthew PerkinsDigital Learning Manager, Mencap

Relevant, engaging, well presented and meaningful

Lauren RogersGlobal Training Manager - Deutschebank

I have had the pleasure of listening to Liggy present on a number of occasions. Her communication style has been well-judged for her various audiences and her relaxed yet professional style has helped others to feel able to contribute to the topics in hand.

Jim HutchinsonPassenger - Ventura

I found Liggy’s presentations onboard the Ventura fascinating. They hit more than a few cords with me. A reason, a season or a lifetime you said. I’d like to think the reason I boarded the Ventura was to be inspired by her talks that have now propelled me in a new direction.

Sharon FrostGlobal HR Director, Oxford PharmaGenesis

Liggy Webb’s bite-sized books have been a great addition to our L&D strategy, helping our colleagues to understand first-hand that learning really can happen in the time it takes to drink a cuppa. Whether it’s a golden nugget of new insight or providing the motivation to have that much needed conversation to bring about positive change.

Liz SheeranLearning and Development, RSPCA

I love Liggy’s books because they are creative, concise and really useful

Mark GriffithsLife Coach

Informative,energetic,inspiring and she was very knowledgeable about her subject. Her personality and enthusiasm captivated the whole audience.

Charles FrisbyProgramme Manager - United Nations - Mine Action Service

Liggy Webb’s ‘Resilience’ is yet another very great work by the author. I appreciate Liggy Webb’s style of writing in that she avoids any unnecessary technical language. She conveys with clear words and examples the concept of resilience. With regards to my field of work (peacekeeping and humanitarian mine action) , I find ‘Resilience’ to be highly relevant.

Site Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • About Liggy
  • Contact Liggy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap

Copyright © 2025 · Liggy Webb · Log in

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok