SHOW NOTES:
On this show….we discussed disappointment, and not just being let down but facing serious challenges and coming up short time and time again. Regardless of your situation, we can all identify with being challenged, facing adversity, falling short, and harboring fear and resentment.
We talked about handling an accumulation of disappointments. How do you handle life when it seems like nothing is going your way?
I shared a little help from Laura Sue Brockway in 11 Ways Emotionally Intelligent People Overcome Disappointment – this includes her professional opinion and some of the professionals she follows.
- Take a moment to…wallow.
- Do a reality check—is it really that bad?
- Go high when hit with a low blow.
- Don’t stew in negativity.
- Avoid anxious reactions by lowering stress.
- Put things in perspective.
- Try not to take other people’s reactions and opinions to heart.
- Limit others from dumping their disappointments.
- Write down your distress.
- Develop positive thinking muscles.
- Breathe your way to a clear mind.
Life is full of challenges and as strong as you are or as strong as you become, they are unavoidable. What can change is your reaction to any situation. In the midst of a fight on the ground, it’s easy to cast blame, avoid responsibility, and walk away defeated leaving so many life lessons on the table. The advantage only comes from changing your perspective. On the ground, you only see what’s in front of you and only a few feet ahead. You can’t predict future trials but you can arm yourself with the knowledge to help you deal with them more effectively.
We talked about unhooking all the disappoint and lay it out to get a good look at each event. Sometimes we lump everything together making it overwhelming to deal with. I used the visualization of being Ebenezer Scrogg and try visiting each event as a third party onlooker.
Sometimes we need this vantage point to walk through the various stations of our life. Keeping events private, never dealing with emotional trauma, or uncovering the lesson means we harden, limiting our true potential.
We discussed the importance of reaching out and not trying to rebound on your own. I shared some insightful thoughts from Debbie Jorde – she struggles with insecurities and self-doubt. She is raising two children with special needs, battling bulimia & multiple sclerosis. She thought she was alone….until she reached out. Now the author of 8 fingers and 8 toes – Accepting Life’s Challenges.
- Ask for Help
- Set Personal Boundaries
- Make Conscious Choices
- Accepting Challenges Creates Better Health
- Listen to Your Body
- Build Healthy Habits
- Get Regular Exercise, and Eat Healthily
- Take Control of One Area of Your Life
Listen to the podcast to gain perspective on Debbie’s walk and how she came to this advice. Take control of one area of your life – When life keeps delivering blow after blow and you are overwhelmed feeling completely out of control. Take ONE back. Start small and find one thing you can own. For Debbie, it was her diet and exercise. Even struggling with health problems of her own, she could own this area of her life.
Instead of focusing on how to avoid the blow’s that life will inevitably deliver we’ve been focusing on rebounding. How to face the challenge, embrace the lesson, find support from others, and fuel your journey with knowledge. Ready to start moving forward again more empowered than before?
CHALLENGE: When the pressure gets too great, instead of taking a dive, reach out, and embrace the wisdom of human connections. Empower your self with the knowledge to fuel your resilience. You have what it takes to rebound and lead the charge!
I Know YOU Can Do It!