Life throws us challenges of all kinds. They can come from losing a loved one to simply coping with a dull routine. Worries set in. There are disappointments, regrets, lost dreams and plans and finally lost hope.

These set-backs can happen because of poor decision making, external factors or unrealistic expectations.

There are ways to deal with these set backs.

Rationalize Put aside your feelings and be objective about your situation. This will help you focus and redefine your reality. Set yourself new options and acknowledge that success and failure are existent in every situation.

Nothing better than the present moment Tomorrow might get better, or not. However why worry about something that hasnt happened yet. Yes, prepare yourself today as best you can for what may happen tomorrow. There is nothing wrong with that, but do take one day at a time and make the best of it.

Adapt Struggling against your situation will only make it worse. Go with the flow. We feel down when things are not going the way we want; when we do not accept the situation. Let go and focus on other possibilities. This will help you get out of the blues.

Share Find someone you can share your disappointments with. It will alleviate the pressure and perhaps it will help you be objective and find new ways to change your situation.

Target Analyze your situation. Where does your disappointment come from? Can you do something about it? Try something different, change your way of thinking about this source of disappointment and try to move in a new direction.

Spring back Look at the other side of the coin. Things are not going your way? See if you can take advantage of the situation. Turn it around to your advantage. Make the best of it. See the positive side.

Grow up Are you learning from this disappointment? Or does it keep happening? What can you do to change thing? Act differently, think differently or change your expectations. Set yourself up for a happy ending.

You can try to cope, to move on, and to learn but most definitely find something positive about the outcome; so that next time you have a bad spell, you can get back on your feet that much faster.

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"A happy life consists in tranquility of mind." -Marcus Tullius Cicero

"No one is happy all his life long." -Euripides

"Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." -Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

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