Disappointment can happen to all of us and for many reasons. Sometimes we experience setbacks and disappointments at school—in all subjects, not just STEM. Developing your resiliency and ability to overcome disappointment is an important life skill and helps in STEM fields.
A key part of resiliency is your mindset. Mindset is the way you think about disappointment, obstacles, and setbacks you encounter. Here are six ways to develop and manage your mindset:
1. Remind yourself you can’t control everything. Manage what you can and be flexible and adaptable with what you can’t control.
2. Regularly reflect on and celebrate what is going well.
3. Remind yourself that failure isn’t permanent and is a learning opportunity. Just because you fail at something doesn’t mean you are a failure. Also, look at obstacles as opportunities to improve and grow.
4. Be self-confident and draw on your strengths. Avoid comparing yourself to others.
5. Strive to be positive and recognize when you are getting into a negative space.
6. Keep your expectations in check. Ask yourself if you are expecting too much from yourself.
The other part of resiliency is taking concrete action steps to manage setbacks and disappointments. Here are five actions you can take.
1. When a setback occurs, step back and look at it from a different perspective so you can see things for what they really are and not get caught up in the emotion you are feeling.
2. Identify what you can do differently next time.
3. Talk about how you feel with a trusted adult. Don’t let your frustrations or emotions fester. Get their perspective and ideas about the situation and what you could do differently in the future.
4. Journal your thoughts and feelings. Writing things down can help you look at the situation from a different point of view.
5. Do something physical such as going for a run or doing yoga.
It can be hard to not let setbacks get you down but learning how to bounce back when things go wrong will make you a better student and person. Keep these ideas in mind when you face difficult situations. You might find that setbacks become defining moments in your life.
What strategies and ideas work for you? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Bright Futures Begin With STEM 