Mindful Meditation to help you FLOW through disappointment
Have you ever had a day that seemed nothing was going your way and disappointments
seemed to come from every direction? I know for me, I have had many of those days and
sometimes even months or entire seasons of life that were not all bad, but yet very
disappointing. I have experienced this both in my personal life and often even in my very
competitive industry of Real Estate. Despite all my efforts to manage outcomes or control
circumstances or give it my best, the world just unfolds as it is going to and it's not always in the
way I hoped for. I know I’m surely not the only one to feel this way? I’ll be honest, my natural
default and temptation is to react to disappointments with anger, sometimes tears, and usually
an over-analysis of what I could have done differently. While I think this is pretty normal, it
doesn't actually serve me well to respond this way nor does it change the outcome.
Thankfully, over time, I have acquired new tools for dealing with disappointment and they have
helped me so much that I can't help but want to leave them here with you. Here is one of them!
Mindful Meditation.
Mindfulness is “the mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on
the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts and
bodily sensations' '. Meditation “is the practice of becoming consciously aware of your breath,
and focusing one's mind for a period of time”. When disappointed, we can stop and choose to
have a set amount of time to process how we feel and what we think, allowing ourselves to
experience that fully and without judgment. Once our time is up to process, we can then make
another choice to choose gratitude for the disappointment. Again, stop and either think or write
down what you are grateful for in the situation. Maybe it's a person you met or a lesson you
learned or any number of things that might be a positive from the disappointment. You can
decide to release the anger, or sadness or whatever feeling you are tempted to dwell on and
just accept that the situation is really neither good nor bad but rather just something that
happened.Just another piece of life that is unfolding just as it should. Releasing the feelings we
are tempted to stay stuck in and mindfully making the choice to see the good or the potential
good that could come from it, frees us to pick up and move on and be ready with open arms for
the good things that lie ahead. Often and ideally, I do this in a designated area for meditating.
A quiet comfortable place where I can be fully engaged and uninterrupted. A Place like this
could be a closet, spare room, or a corner of your bedroom. Wherever that is for you, it should
be set up in a way that you feel calm and comfortable. I like to sit on a block or blanket, light a
candle, sit upright with legs crossed and palms open resting on my knees. I close down my eyes
and begin with noticing my breath, then my thoughts, then scanning my body for how it feels. As
my thoughts come I let them, then return the focus to my breath. This can be done for 3 minutes
or 20 or as long as you like. There is no pressure to make it lengthy, even a few minutes will be
beneficial. Although this is my ideal way to meditate, it's not always an option when you need to
move through something. You can still practice these basic principles even in stressful traffic or
a busy day at the office, or in a tough situation with a friend or family member. The key is to be
fully aware of the present moment, your breath, your thoughts and your feelings. As you do this
and begin to reframe the situation with gratitude, a willingness to let go of what you hoped for
and an open heart to receiving what's coming next, you will not only change your mind about the
disappointment, but even your physical and emotional well being. Who doesn’t want all that?
“
I hope this was helpful tip for dealing with Disappointment. I cant wait to share all that I am learning with you again.
Always with Love.
XO,
Keri
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