1. Be kind to yourself
It’s important to address your disappointments, but first you need to take care of you – in mind and body.
Psychologist Minh Nguyen's advice:
Look after yourself by exercising, eating and sleeping well. Talk to someone you trust about your feelings.
2. Surround yourself with good people
Choose positive vibes and positive people who validate your feelings and recognise your contributions and hard work.
You may benefit from surrounding yourself with people who can help affirm your efforts. Spend time with people who encourage a positive mindset, so that you focus on building on your strengths.
3. Get your feel-good flowing
It’s time to get moving and motivated. You’d be amazed at how inspiring a little exercise, a good belly laugh, or spending time on an activity you enjoy can be.
Create a positive spiral of activities that release the ‘happy’ endorphins in your brain and distributed throughout your nervous system, by exercising, spending time with loved ones, engaging in an activity that you enjoy, and accomplishing an achievable task that you feel proud of.
4. Take this as a learning experience
Think about how babies learn to walk – one of the best ways to learn is through failing, getting up and trying again. Once you figure out what you can learn from your disappointment, you can begin to set new goals and start down a new path.
Reflect on what your strengths are and what you could improve. Develop Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic and Time-bound (SMART) goals of what you can improve. Review in relevant timing.
5. Get back in the game
Now it’s time to figure out your next move. Trying a different tact is a great way to start.
For example, if your ATAR score wasn’t what you had hoped for, why not look into a study pathway? Chat to a career adviser or read about your options and discover the many ways to achieve your goals – that you may not have known existed!
