how to deal with disappointments and why age 47 might be tricky
Easter means bunnies, chocolate and daffodils for many of us, but of course its root is in the Easter story â the loss of Good Friday and the incredible hope of Easter Sunday. You donât need to have a faith to be able to enjoy the story and its significance.
But what about Easter Saturday?
I wonder if many of you reading this are in a bit of an Easter Saturday moment.
Youâre not in the heartbreak season of a Good Friday, but youâre also not celebrating and riding high on an Easter Sunday vibe.
Easter Saturday is the in-between. Itâs quiet. A comma, perhaps. There isnât yet the breakthrough youâre looking for. You donât get the job you wanted and youâre not sure what is next. Youâre unsure of what is around the corner and it all feels somewhat flat. Not necessarily deeply unhappy, but are you feeling fulfilled? Do you have hope, or vision, or strategy, or direction? Easter Saturday lacks all this; it is disorientating and confusing and often comprehensively disappointing. Now, it doesnât mean there isnât anything good going on â very few of us are in that boat. But you are aware that something substantial is missing or perhaps life did not turn out as youâd expected.
Disappointment â thatâs the watchword for an Easter Saturday season.
So, although I canât begin to diagnose and support every individual situation, I would at least like to say that youâre not alone. Many of us are experiencing âEaster Saturdayâ in some way, shape or form. To add some data to this assumption, apparently the peak of life-disappointment is age 47 so I have got that to look forward to. Lucky you if youâre reading this age 48 â the only way is up â and indeed, thatâs how it works, as scientists refer to it as âthe happiness curveâ. So where are you on the happiness curve, whatever your age? And, more importantly, what can we do about it?
Well, much of lifeâs disappointments can be tracked back to expectations. Someone once said, âExpectation is the root of all heartacheâ. I think there is a lot to be said about this. For me personally, understanding that my expectations of others have caused me much disappointment has been one of the key learnings I have had as an adult.
Iâd like to share a few ways we can deal with disappointment, or, if you like, our âEaster Saturdayâ moments:
Finally, I would love to remind you that your âEaster Sundayâ will come. Not necessarily in all the ways youâd hope for, but, as John Lennon wisely said, âEverything will be okay in the end. If itâs not OK, itâs not the end.â
With love,
Hannah x