COVID-19 HAS CANCELLED A LOT OF THINGS. HERE’S HOW TO WORK THROUGH IT AND SET YOUR EYES ON THE FUTURE.

Your spring break road trip with all of your friends was canceled. No big deal, you can reschedule. Then your graduation ceremony gets canceled. Those tend to be kind of boring anyway, it’s fine. Now your summer job lets you know they can’t hire you anymore. All of the exciting things that you’ve been waiting for are canceled — with no promise of rescheduling.

On top of everything else that you’re dealing with related to physical distancing, you now have to deal with these feelings of disappointment, sadness, and grief of those lost moments. To be blunt, that really sucks. And we’re so sorry. We can’t take away those feelings, but we can help you move forward and find some light within the darkness you may be feeling.

Feel those feelings

You feel bad, and that’s ok! Sometimes, you have to throw “finding the bright side” or “smiling through it” out the window. Have a good cry and let yourself just feel your sadness and your disappointment. Don’t force yourself to push past what you’re feeling!

Make plans

Okay, we know. This is the reason you’re feeling disappointed in the first place, right? And none of us really know when things will go back to normal. But make some rough plans for the future that can make up for whatever has been canceled in the present. Think of a trip that you want to make happen for 2021 or what a makeup graduation party can look like for you in the future. You can even make creative plans that recreate the things that fell through.

Write it out

We’re huge fans of journaling, but right now, it seems even more important. Whether you physically pick up a journal and write, or just open up a doc on your laptop and start typing — putting all of those disappointments into words is like clearing it from your head, and it lets you reflect and move on from those things afterward. Trust us, it can be so helpful!

Connect with others

The hidden bright side in all of the disappointment is that we’re all experiencing things together. It’s bringing people together in unexpected ways. So now may be a good time to reach out to people — like coworkers and classmates — that you know are struggling with the same types of challenges as you.

Practice gratitude

Science is on our side for this one — being grateful has been shown to positively impact the way your brain functions. So list out 2-3 things that you are thankful for in your life right now. Obviously, there are things that you’re facing that may feel hopeless right now, but listing out those few things every day will help you see the bigger picture.

Cancelled Plans Suck. And Yes, It’s Okay To Be Disappointed.