Are you disappointed? Are you bummed out? Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?
I feel you on that one.
Having been a caregiver to a spouse with cancer, a widow, divorce, single mom, I have known my share of disappointments. And one of the passions in my life is helping my clients move past the disappointment and be able to find happiness and joy in their lives right now.
You may be thinking, “Life is hard. I want to be happier.” But how do you do that? Today I’m sharing four things to help you push through disappointment.
I’ll be honest … sometimes it’s hard to flip the switch and sometimes I get sick and tired of being sick and tired too. Sometimes you need to cry. Sometimes you need to let it out. Sometimes you need to be disappointed and be in a funk for a day or two.
But here is the key.
If that day or two continues into a week or a month or longer, then you know you need to do something about it. Because you deserve to be happy. You deserve to have peace and joy.
Here are 4 simple ways to flip the switch from disappointment to happiness.
1. Talk to your trusted friends
Who are your safe and trusted friends? You know, the ones that listen to you through the tears? When you have those moments where you are stuck, call them! Connect with them.
Or maybe you have a mentor that you work with or someone that can talk you through the hard moments.
Rely on those people in your life that are there for you no matter what.
2. Give yourself grace
Chances are you’re disappointed or upset because someone has hurt your feelings or you are being too hard on yourself. I often struggle with the latter.
But when I give myself grace in those hard moments, that is when I find the peace and happiness that I’m seeking.
If you have people in your life that genuinely care for you, but they’ve hurt you (not intentionally!), then give them grace too. Remembering grace in your relationships is important too. It’s not a contest of who does the most for somebody. It’s about the relationship and helping your friends when times are tough.
Think about how you like to be treated. Are you giving that same respect to those you love? It is scientifically proven that how you treat others affects your health. Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and respect.
You will feel better. Your health will be better. Your spirit will be better.
3. Focus on gratitude
When I’m feeling down, it’s hard to think about the good things in life. It’s easier to think, “My life sucks right now.” If I had a grain of sand for everytime I wished cancer would go away, I could fill an ocean. But it didn’t happen, and I still found peace and happiness….eventually.
When I realized that I was wasting so much time pining for something that wasn’t going to happen and focusing on the bad, things changed. That’s what flipped the switch for me.
If you are struggling and can only focus on the problem, then something needs to change.
Focus on gratitude. Change what you are focusing on. What you focus on expands. Shift to what’s going right in your life.
4. Believe in something bigger
One of my favorite quotes is by Denis Waitley. He says, “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.”
When you believe in something bigger than yourself, it will help you pull through. So whatever or whomever you choose as your higher power, recognize that they are there for you. I believe that Jesus is my higher power and in the bible it says in John chapter 10, “I am the good shepherd. And I know my sheep. I laid down my life for my sheep.” When we have the realization that He is there for us, that He literally died for us, that is love!
Final Thoughts
If you are having a hard time getting past your disappointments, flip the switch! Use these four tips to climb out of the funk.