As your birthday approaches, excitement builds. You dream about the great gifts, fun parties, and posh restaurants that will make your day great. Your fantasies can easily run wild as you dream up the “perfect birthday. ” However, when the big day comes, it never quite lives up to your birthday expectations, leaving you feeling empty and disappointed on what should be a great day.
Manage your expectations
Humans are not mind readers. Don’t expect your friends and family to know what you want if you don’t tell them. This is often the source of disappointment for people on their birthdays. By not speaking up, they set themselves up for disappointment when they don’t receive the gifts they want the most.
It can be difficult to voice their desires and ask for specific gifts. Creating an account on Giftster can be the solution. This less confrontational method of conveying your desires makes it easier to communicate. Having a running list of gift ideas makes it easier for everyone to get you what you really want.
Acknowledge your feelings
When you start to feel negative feelings, acknowledge them. That way, you can excuse yourself to feel them or set them aside to work through later. Trying to ignore them will only create more turmoil and stress, driving you further into a negative headspace. If you feel up for it, you can try talking to someone you trust about your feelings of disappointment. They may give you a different perspective that can change your mindset.
Have self-compassion
Be kind to yourself and your feelings. It is ok to feel disappointed. These negative feelings are natural and the normal response when what you hope for does not happen.
Switch your focus to gratitude
It can be easy to allow your mental state to slip into a state of negativity. However, don’t allow your disappointment to cloud over the entire day. Actively decide to switch your focus to one of gratitude. This is easier than trying to force yourself to be happy. Look for reasons to find joy and feel grateful. It could be:
Being surrounded by friends and family
Your strong health
Financial or professional success
Overcoming a recent significant challenge
Thought and effort put into the gifts you did receive
Learn from the experience
Look for lessons in your disappointing birthday experience. This will help you grow as a person. It will also help prevent the situation from happening again at future birthdays. Perhaps you need to be more vocal about what you want. Or perhaps you need to shift your priorities. Maybe what you thought would make you happy doesn’t, and a different type of celebration would be more fulfilling.
Avoid disappointment by managing your birthday expectations
The easiest way to avoid disappointment on your birthday is to communicate what you want. Instead of dreaming of the gifts you want, start sharing them with your friends and family. Create a free birthday wish list with Giftster and invite your friends and family to do the same. You can add gift ideas from any website, giving you complete freedom to customize your list. Use the website or download the Giftster app for iPhone or Android devices.
Happy gifting!
The post How Do I Manage My Birthday Expectations To Avoid Feeling Letdown? appeared first on Giftster and was written by Giftster.
