Setbacks are inevitable, whether you’re striving for perfection, or dealing with difficult people, but once you are able to get beyond your setbacks, you may spend less time being concerned about them.

To deal with setbacks it’s important we have composure, because without it’s may be easy to panic. Having composure is based on our self-beliefs and confidence, and comes with experience.

When we have composure, dealing with setbacks should be easier. There are no right or wrong ways to deal with setbacks, it’s what works for the individual – but we must try not to be critical of ourselves.

It may be easy to look back and question ourselves, but that is counter-productive. Nothing ever stays the same, circumstances inevitably reach a conclusion one way or another. It is important to recognise progress through the setbacks.

However little progress we think we’ve made, we've probably made more than we think. It's important to see progress as a contributing factor, for a more positive outcome.

Ilana Estelle is a mental health and wellbeing advocate who combines educational insight with her personal experience of living with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. She holds diplomas in Counselling, Diet and Nutrition, Nutritional Therapy, Psychotherapy and Counselling, and Stress Management. Through her writing, Ilana supports others in navigating their emotional, mental, and physical health challenges. In addition to writing for The CP Diary, her work has appeared in healthy lifestyle magazines. Ilana is also the author of three books: Cerebral Palsy: A Story – Finding the Calm After the Storm, Spirituality, Healing and Me, and Survival: The Covid Years – Time for Change.

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4 comments on “Dealing with setbacks”

  1. I've dealt with my setbacks in my life very negatively, to the point of allowing them to totally stop me from living. I'm definitely in this position right now, since I feel like I'm just existing right now.

    I know it's going to take a lot of hard work to move beyond being so stagnant in my life. I'm hoping and praying that I will actually be able to live for a change in the future.

    I know there are a lot of things to live for even though I can't always see them!

    1. I hope you get to that stage too Randy.

      I agree that when we deal with so much it's not always easy to see what we have in our lives.

  2. I handle set backs fairly well and I've seen a lot here lately with the adoption.

    I've learned not to set my expectations high and take some things with a grain of salt, so I don't get so disappointed.

    1. Lowering our expectations to avoid disappointment can be a useful tool and works for many people, I'm sure.

      I'm pleased it works for you Lisa.

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