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15 Affirmations for When Things Don’t Go As Expected

15 Affirmations for When Things Don’t Go As Expected

When your expectations are dashed, try these affirmations.

Getty/BrianAJackson

When I became a parent, I discovered that one key to success is lowering my expectations. For example, if I don’t expect dinner to be anything more than warm sustenance, scrambled eggs seem perfectly acceptable, not pathetic. I wish I could lose my expectations about every single aspect of life—but that’s far more challenging. It’s hard not to feel profoundly disappointed when a promising new lead turns out to be a dead end, when situations aren’t what we signed up for, or when people are revealed to be less than trustworthy.

Author and life coach Christine Hassler, who teaches spiritual psychology at the University of Santa Monica, calls this an “expectation hangover.” She wrote a book on the subject, and says the symptoms of an expectation hangover mirror those of the alcohol-induced version. There are feelings of “What did I do?” accompanied by a spinning head, depression, anxiety, and lowered productivity.

Now that we’ve identified the day-after-expectation consequences, let’s use affirmations as emotional Alka-Seltzer to treat the queasiness.

  1. I’m going to stop forcing this situation. Let go.
  2. If the door won’t open, it’s not my door.
  3. I choose inner happiness, regardless of exterior circumstances.
  4. I set goals based on my own values.
  5. Today, I exude confidence.
  6. I have faith, and I have a vision.
  7. I let go of all expectations.
  8. I’m going to find a way to grow from this.
  9. I am open to receiving new possibilities.
  10. Things will change soon enough.
  11. I’m on an interesting journey!
  12. The practice is important, not the outcome.
  13. I allow the higher plan for my life to unfold.
  14. I release old beliefs that no longer serve me.
  15. I no longer need to compare myself to others.

Want more? Try these affirmations for getting out of a bad situation.

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