How to Handle Feeling Unhappy After Reaching Your Goal
Consider why you struggle being happy., Give yourself permission to be happy., Recognize that happiness is an intention, not a destination., Lower your expectations.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Consider why you struggle being happy.
Discontent can come from many places including low self-esteem, continued struggles with negative experiences, or an upbringing where discipline was overemphasized.
Ask yourself, "What in my life stops me from feeling happy?" Write down your answers, and use them to help you understand what you need to work on moving forward.You may also want to consider speaking with a therapist if you are having trouble identifying the causes your discontent.
They can help you with structured reflection so that you can more readily determine what is holding you back. -
Step 2: Give yourself permission to be happy.
Although it seems counterintuitive, you may simply need to believe that you are deserving of happiness.
When you set big goals for yourself there is a tendency to delay happiness until the goal is reached.
To avoid complacency, you may have sacrificed feeling good about yourself in order to keep your head down and continue striving for your dreams.This tactic may have served you well during the process of goal-attainment, but it is no longer necessary.
Tell yourself, “I deserve happiness.” Look in the mirror, smile at yourself and repeat this phrase until you start to believe it.
You may also consider a celebratory gesture as a symbol that you have accomplished what you wanted.
Getting yourself a gift, taking a small trip, or celebrating with friends and family may all help you feel a bit more comfortable being happy. , You may feel underwhelmed by your accomplishment because you built yourself up to believing that there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
In reality, most people know that life is a series of ups and downs.
Even after you have worked hard for a time to accomplish a goal, your life will still hold challenges and disappointment down the road.
You can improve your level of happiness by understanding that it is a daily choice, not a destination you arrive at.
You can deny yourself contentment, or you can choose to embrace it every single day—no matter what you have achieved.Try it out by rewarding yourself for doing a small portion of a task related to a bigger goal.
Doing this helps you reinforce the idea that happiness is something you can choose to have every day.
Designate a reward for spending a certain number of hours working on a task, or divide the task up into small steps and reward yourself as each step is completed. , If your life standards are enormously high, you could be sabotaging your own happiness.
When you set the bar unreasonably high you set yourself up for failure and unhappiness.
Consider what sort of expectations you have been holding yourself and others to.
Take a moment to think about what you expected would happen when you achieve your goal.
Write your expectations down and consider whether each one is reasonable.
This can help you figure out if you had certain expectations that were not realized.
High expectations may be beneficial when you are trying to improve, but they can sabotage happiness when you’re searching for contentment.
That’s why you need to carefully manage your expectations.
Expect little out of others or the universe, and you will find yourself pleased no matter what the outcome.
On the contrary, expect much out of yourself when you are moving towards goals, but be flexible when you don’t always meet the target. -
Step 3: Recognize that happiness is an intention
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Step 4: not a destination.
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Step 5: Lower your expectations.
Detailed Guide
Discontent can come from many places including low self-esteem, continued struggles with negative experiences, or an upbringing where discipline was overemphasized.
Ask yourself, "What in my life stops me from feeling happy?" Write down your answers, and use them to help you understand what you need to work on moving forward.You may also want to consider speaking with a therapist if you are having trouble identifying the causes your discontent.
They can help you with structured reflection so that you can more readily determine what is holding you back.
Although it seems counterintuitive, you may simply need to believe that you are deserving of happiness.
When you set big goals for yourself there is a tendency to delay happiness until the goal is reached.
To avoid complacency, you may have sacrificed feeling good about yourself in order to keep your head down and continue striving for your dreams.This tactic may have served you well during the process of goal-attainment, but it is no longer necessary.
Tell yourself, “I deserve happiness.” Look in the mirror, smile at yourself and repeat this phrase until you start to believe it.
You may also consider a celebratory gesture as a symbol that you have accomplished what you wanted.
Getting yourself a gift, taking a small trip, or celebrating with friends and family may all help you feel a bit more comfortable being happy. , You may feel underwhelmed by your accomplishment because you built yourself up to believing that there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
In reality, most people know that life is a series of ups and downs.
Even after you have worked hard for a time to accomplish a goal, your life will still hold challenges and disappointment down the road.
You can improve your level of happiness by understanding that it is a daily choice, not a destination you arrive at.
You can deny yourself contentment, or you can choose to embrace it every single day—no matter what you have achieved.Try it out by rewarding yourself for doing a small portion of a task related to a bigger goal.
Doing this helps you reinforce the idea that happiness is something you can choose to have every day.
Designate a reward for spending a certain number of hours working on a task, or divide the task up into small steps and reward yourself as each step is completed. , If your life standards are enormously high, you could be sabotaging your own happiness.
When you set the bar unreasonably high you set yourself up for failure and unhappiness.
Consider what sort of expectations you have been holding yourself and others to.
Take a moment to think about what you expected would happen when you achieve your goal.
Write your expectations down and consider whether each one is reasonable.
This can help you figure out if you had certain expectations that were not realized.
High expectations may be beneficial when you are trying to improve, but they can sabotage happiness when you’re searching for contentment.
That’s why you need to carefully manage your expectations.
Expect little out of others or the universe, and you will find yourself pleased no matter what the outcome.
On the contrary, expect much out of yourself when you are moving towards goals, but be flexible when you don’t always meet the target.
About the Author
Linda Hernandez
Linda Hernandez has dedicated 3 years to mastering lifestyle and practical guides. As a content creator, Linda focuses on providing actionable tips and step-by-step guides.
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