As much as I discuss not setting unrealistic expectations, you would think I wouldn't continue to have issues with disappointment.

Unfortunately, however, I get that we set ourselves up for disappointment no matter how hard we try. Especially when we assume or fail to anticipate undesired outcomes.

So, while I understand that disappointment is sometimes inevitable, I hope we can prepare for it and learn how to recover from it.

So here are tools (things to remember) to help minimize and bounce back from life's disappointments.

Overcoming Disappointment: 4 Tools for Bouncing Back

I. HOPE LESS

There is a space between hope and less because it signifies two words: hopeless. The purpose is to help you understand that hoping less minimizes your encounters with disappointment.

Consider this:

Ever notice how easy it is for us to get mad at someone else for getting our hopes up, and how difficult it may be to forgive that person? However, we don't often consider how much we hope and wish for unrealistic outcomes. Those same hopes and outcomes that may never come to us yield disappointment in our lives. But we'd gladly attack someone else for disappointing us before we prepare ourselves for disappointment.

Crazy right?

Either way just because something doesn't go the way we want it to, doesn't mean it may not be meant to be, it simply may be that it's not the right time, person, place or thing.

When we hope, we are anticipating that every aspect of a situation is ideal for us, when it could be that there are factors that are not meant for us to have!

But that doesn't mean we should give up on a goal. I am simply suggesting that you be patient and/or explore other avenues of achieving it.

II. ANTICIPATE THE UNEXPECTED

One of the most valuable lessons I have learned in adulthood is that I shouldn't be certain of a given outcome. More specifically, I shouldn't be certain of how someone will respond.

I grew up in a Christian (Baptist) church where I was always taught that God is omniscient (all-knowing) and no one else. But even though I grew up believing this, I failed to consider that I am not God in some instances. And that sounds weird, I know, but think about it...

Even people with great faith tend to get confused from time to time. Just because we pray for something doesn't mean it is meant for us. And just because we desire something so strongly and "wish" it into our lives doesn't mean it will happen.

You can say what you want, but it's a fact that lack of preparation for the unexpected leads to great disappointment.

So why put yourself through the frustration and pain when you can accept that you don't know the outcome and be ready for all possibilities?

III. EMBRACE THE LESSON

I think it is safe to say that 90% of the time when we experience disappointment, there is always a lesson to be learned.

I found that it was much easier to stomach disappointment when you quickly identified the lesson and accepted it.

Not only does learning from past mistakes help prepare you for the future, but it also aids in understanding that you don't have control over everything and every situation.

IV. RELEASE CONTROL

Releasing control increases our ability to live and experience life as it is rather than what we expect it to be. If we take the time to stop trying to control it, we will then be able to appreciate more of everything.

If we all understood this, disappointment would just be another word and not a state or mood that so negatively impacts our perspective on life.

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