Have you ever been disappointed? Some of you are probably like,  “Yep all the time, every day disappointment is really just a huge part of my life.”  Disappointment results from thoughts and expectations being out of line with reality according to psych central. Some disappointments are actually predictable and preventable while others are totally unavoidable. It is important to differentiate between the two so that you can respond appropriately. Repeated disappointment may be the result of a pattern of faulty or irrational thinking. If you are frequently disappointed evaluate what you were thinking and try to change your faulty thinking patterns. Things you can do to help with your disappointment generally involve the following: 1) change your expectations and your way of thinking. 2) Shift your expectations. 3) evaluate what you expect from family, coworkers and friends 4) check to see if your expectations are fair and reasonable if not change them 5) determine if your disappointment is specific to one person or situation or to almost all aspects of your life. By doing this you will be able to focus your energy  more effectively. 6) write down specific examples and look for the cause not just a symptom of your stress. Ask others if they think your expectations are out of line with what is reasonable and possibly have a better or at least a different perspective 7) Listen to what they say and when appropriate make necessary changes. Another thing you can do is re-direct your thinking. The good news is that you can control how you think. Although you have no control over the action or thoughts of others, if someone consistently cannot give you what you want then at some point it may be in your best interest to accept the person as is. We call that radical acceptance. As a last resort you may choose to not spend time with that person but to be honest I don’t really choose that as a last resort. It’s pretty extreme to just remove yourself from the situation because you’re disappointed. When you catch yourself thinking negatively redirect and focus on positive solutions, communicate more effectively, recognize that you have a little control over others. You do however have some influence. Disappointment can be reduced or eliminated by better communication.