Dealing with disappointment

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I'm really bad at dealing with disappointment. I try really hard not to get my hopes up about things but sometimes either I want the thing to happen so badly or I'm just really confident that it will happen then I can't help myself but get my hopes up. When those hopes are dashed then the disappointment hangs over me for days or weeks or sometimes even longer. It knocks my entire life off track. I've been working really hard on my anxiety issues and I don't get the same level of anxiety with the disappointment now but I still just feel really down. I feel like I'm over-reacting and taking things too personally a lot of the time.

Does anyone have any tips for keeping hopes in check and then dealing with disappointment when it comes?

It is a delicate balance between being practical and optimistic

Meditation

Counseling

Sometimes I got disappointed about something. When I was twelve I desperately wanted to take karate. And could not. And the disappointment lasted for a long time. Years. Even after ten years of aikido (over 450 lessons), feel like I could not reach anywhere near the potential, because , started at age 25 . Too late.

The other largest major disappointment, structural engineering. Age 22, fourth year undergrad flunked out.

Age ,35 today. Still have dreams (while sleeping) about it. Preoccupied with it every day

Obsessed, anxiety, fear, ashamed, hatred, annoyed, anger, withdrawn



Seriously suspect my personality would have been significantly different, if I got that degree


But whatever

Anyways


Maybe you could come up with different hobbies, interests, goals


Live a more balanced life.