Begin by acknowledging the feeling of disappointment without any judgement. Recognise that it's a natural human emotion and it's okay to feel this way.

As best you can, allow yourself to fully experience the disappointment. There may be feelings of resentment, unfairness, frustration, and self -criticism. As best you can, try to welcome these as human, natural, and understandable emotions.

Remembering what we've learnt so far in the course that trying to push feelings away or deny them can add an extra layer of pain on top of what's already there.

Maybe notice as thoughts arrive, and how many of them are likely to be past focused.

I should have, I should not have, if only I had or hadn't.

Or there may be future focused,

What will happen to me now? Things won't be as I'd hoped or planned.

Now we've done a lot of work with thoughts, haven't we, and we've done a lot of metacognitive based practices. So, this is a great time for putting this into practice. Noticing these thoughts, the past and future focused thoughts, as mental events, commentary, speculation, and also recognise that they may be harshly critical, unhelpful, and likely not true.

Ground yourself in the present moment by focusing on an anchor in the body or externalising your attention. As awareness of the present moment through the senses arrives, notice any possibility of letting go a little of any thinking that's upsetting, adhesive or judgemental.

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You might take some time to explore the feeling of disappointment within yourself, noticing where it is in your body, maybe tightness, heaviness, or other physical sensations.

Allowing yourself to fully experience these sensations with openness, you might say,

here is disappointment, here is hurt and upset, here is unfairness, I'm feeling it.

Foregrounding the feelings in the body and opening and softening to them. Offer yourself compassion and kindness as you work through the disappointment, reminding yourself that it's okay to feel it and that you're not alone in experiencing this emotion. Treat yourself with the same care and understanding that you would offer to a friend in a similar situation.

There's no need to argue against feeling this way, or to replace one set of critical thoughts with another. Being open to whatever experience is arriving, grounding in the body around the physical feelings of disappointment.

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It might be useful to reflect on what the feelings of disappointment might be signalling to you. Maybe it's highlighting unmet expectations or unfulfilled desires, or areas where you need to set boundaries or even make changes in your life. You can use a mindful reflection as an opportunity for self-awareness and growth. As best you can, let go of any self-criticism or blame that may arrive in response to the disappointment.

Recognise that it's not productive or helpful to dwell on what could have been done differently. Instead, focussing on the learning from the experience and moving forward with self-compassion. And you might want to shift your focus deliberately from what went wrong or what didn't go as you expected it to, to what is still good in your life. The opportunities that surround you, even in the midst of disappointment.

Revisit some of the previous practices, particularly around practising the pleasant. Maybe notice small moments of joy and beauty that exist alongside the challenges.

Finally, reflect on whether your expectations were realistic and achievable. When we feel disappointment, it can be helpful to consider that there may have been factors beyond your control, and that these contributed to the outcome.

Mindfulness can be helpful for navigating through difficult feelings, and it can also be helpful to introduce greater self-compassion, helping you to ultimately find peace and acceptance amidst life's inevitable ups and downs.