dealing with disappointment

Another part of getting your Joy back and keeping it is learning to deal with disappointment. When we
are babies we cry. When we get a little older, we may become rebellious (yours truly). A little older and we tolerate or reason, usually superficially. But, none of these responses prepare you for the loss of
your faculties.

Over the years, I have developed a system for myself. I call it the 4 R's. I wrote a poem
that illustrates this point:

promise

mental illness is a thief

a thief that steals

futures

potential

 happiness

that is until you

refocus

reevaluate

redefine

redirect

and cheat the thief

 out of his spoils

-jaa

I’d like to introduce you to my four R’s. I truly believe in this sequence. I’ve had to do it most of my life.

To refocus, you single in on a positive aspect of your calamity. You reevaluate to see if you might be able to figure out another route or another goal. You redefine yourself and truly commit to the new goal, trying not to look back. You bundle all these together and redirect yourself towards the new route or goal. These four are my mantra for surviving a mental illness with a minimum amount of upset. But, you have to believe in them.