Tag: Expectations

Spaghetti and Hurt Feelings

I am a pretty clumsy person. Like a keep-an-eye-on-me-around-closed-sliding-glass-doors, probably-should-never-eat-spaghetti-without-a-full-apron-on kind of person. Suffice it to say, my childhood nickname lauded my propensity to accumulate minor bumps and scrapes through incredible feats of un-coordination. I won’t tell you how old I was when I nearly broke my glasses walking into the corner of a doorway instead of through the doorway - although, to be perfectly clear, it was part of the transparent wall of a racquetball court…and that was the problem: it was perfectly clear.

 

Anyway, as my luck would have it, I’m also a pretty relationally-clumsy person. At times I completely miss that I have caused emotional discomfort or harm. I put my foot in my mouth routinely enough that I< ...

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Have you ever reflected on your life and thought, “I never imagined my life would look like this.” For some, this thought can bring feelings of excitement, joy, and gratitude. But for many others, this same thought brings about feelings of sadness, disappointment, and even anger.

Like with the loss of a loved one, grief can show up for us when we experience the loss of unmet expectations, hopes, and dreams. Perhaps you always dreamed of moving out of state, but instead you’re living in your hometown. Or maybe you always hoped for a nurturing relationship with your mom, yet all these years later, that longing still hasn’t been met. When ungrieved, these losses can hang over us and may even lead to resentment, shame, depression, or anxiety.

So what do we do? As with any loss, we can move towards healing through the process of grieving.

How to Grieve the Loss of Unmet Expectations, Hopes, and Dreams

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