*Note: This was written at an earlier date
I have been looking forward to this day for weeks. A paid holiday from work for me, and yet everyone in my family has a regular day. A free day for me to do whatever I want! I have had some plans in the back of my mind, but I didn’t make any solid commitments for the day. I was thinking I will just “go with the flow”.
Now, I suppose I am glad I went with that sentiment, because we are in the middle of an ice storm. I may not have to work today, but I am assuming that everyone else’s regular day will not be so regular. I’m thinking it will not be the free day I was hoping for. And, to be honest, I am a little bummed.
I assume this happens to everyone. You make plans, or at least you think you have an idea of how something is going to happen, and then it doesn’t or something comes up that might not be as fun or enjoyable. The weather is bad. A family situation comes up. Your loved one with mental illness has an unexpected bad day. Also, to note, I am talking about somewhat regular events here – I am not discussing major life events like a death in the family or something traumatic. Although every situation is different, it can be very disappointing to have things not go in your planned direction.
So, how do you cope? We’ve all had to do it already, but is there a “best” way to deal with the disappointment?
Unfortunately, I don’t have the answer to that. Everyone has different ways of dealing with a change of plans, and it can depend on the situation. My example today is pretty simple – I probably won’t have my free day – I will spend it with my family, but in turn I will be helping to keep them safe from being out in icy, dangerous weather.
So, maybe what you or I have to do is straightforward, but perhaps what can be changed is how we react to it. Easier said than done, again. Depending on what you believe, you might think there are positive reasons why this happened. Or, perhaps you can bring up some gratitude on what is going well instead. While you may not be able to change the situation, you can change or control how you react to it, and hopefully you can find positive ways to do so. The next time something in your day doesn’t go as planned, I encourage you to react to it in the most positive way that you can.