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The bitter feeling of pure disappointment is something that follows you throughout your life. Even the most successful get let down from time to time. Postgrad life, along with being a disappointment in itself, seems to have more opportunity for disheartening moments simply because shit just carries more weight as an adult.
Back in the days of less responsibility, handling disappointment was significantly easier. Got dumped? Better get wasted. Failed a test? Shots, please! Did something awful happen the night before while you were drunk? Better get hammered to forget about it. Nothing soothes the bummed soul like good old-fashioned booze.
I pitched in college, and whenever I’d get shelled (which was very often), I’d reach straight for a box of Keystone Light and wouldn’t stop until I woke up the next morning feeling like shit.
However, when you get older, spiking your BAC up to dangerous levels sometimes isn’t the most practical way to get over something. Yeah, not closing that big deal at work is shitty, but having to work the rest of the week with a devastating, two-day hangover would make it worse. For me, I’m home by myself with a child 98% of my nights. A tough day at the office still doesn’t entitle me to tip back a bottle of Crown until I can’t feel the feelings. Adults sometimes have to find other ways to cope.
Exercise
If you’re not a gym regular, you may get wide eyes at this suggestion. But hell, that’s all the better for you. If you run two miles for the first time in a decade, by the time you’re finished, the personal failure you were running away from will be the last thing on your mind.
Raising your heart rate is the best way to burn off dogging frustrations. In the long run, positive gains will also come from your efforts. From personal experience, the only thing aside from my kid getting me through things was working out every night and just feeling a bit better about myself. That boost of confidence from fitness can go a long way.
Cook An Extravagant Meal
I know what you’re thinking, and no, I’m not saying to go full White Goodman and bury yourself in shitty food until you have to hire day laborers to roll your ass to the office every day. Something that I find takes my mind off everything is going full Guy Fieri in my kitchen. If you’ve got 3 cooking operations going at once and you even try to think about anything else, something is catching on fire.
Find a solid recipe that you’ve never tried, head to your local grocery store, and pretend to be Bobby Flay for a night. The effort you put in combined with that feeling of satisfaction once you sit down and taste the fruits of your labor is a nice personal redemption moment from whatever you fucked up at the office.
Fix That Thing You Keep Meaning To Fix
You know, that thing. That thing that anytime your parents swing by your place they say, “Hey, that thing is still broken.” Yeah, that fucking thing. We’ve all got some sort of project or DIY maintenance around the house that we’ve been putting off. Why not channel that frustration built up from that “we’re over u dick” text or that “Congrats, you’ve received a promotion, you’re now the VP of Inside Marketing Strategy. You’ll receive 10% less salary” email into getting something positive done.
While it may not recoup the potential spouse you just lost or the 10% of income you sorely needed, it’ll give you something to feel damn good about and improve your standard of living in some way, shape, or form.
Call A Buddy
You know what was dumb back in the day? Having feelings and needing a friend. That was for the weak. All you needed to handle your emotion was a 5th of Jack and Sunday’s NASCAR race.
But now that you’ve matured into a grown human, sometimes it’s ok to just call a friend and blow off some steam. That’s what they’re there for. Hell, if something is eating you up, be vulnerable. Not only has a friend likely been in some form of the same situation you’re in before, but they’re much cheaper than a therapist, which you definitely can’t afford after losing 10% of your salary.
Just Get Hammered
Fuck it, sometimes nothing is better than getting drunk..
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Kyle Bandujo
The artist formerly known as Crash Davis. My kid doesn't think I'm funny.
@kylebandujo
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I go back and forth between the gym and cooking options. That way I’m never getting too fit or too fat. Perfecting unremarkably average. PGP.
Jack D and NASCAR go together like cocaine and waffles
Completely agree with exercise. I run away from all my problems, literally.
Punish yourself by investing more in your retirement fund.
Strong proponent of the gym. After college I was still drinking five nights a week. Stopped drinking so much, kicked up the cardio a hair, lost 40 pounds in 9 months. Only three days a week. Never felt better. You’ll look better too, for all you bumble/tinder folk out there…
Either the gym or music makes me feel better most of the time (definitely have a spotify playlist titled very originally “Bad day”)
Ft. Daniel Powter
More like Daniel Pout – er
I see what you did
I find Bravo TV shows work well. I’m not going full trash on housewives and shit but more real estate/lifestyle focused shows let you escape from your shitty reality.
Weed
Gotta mix a little white with the green.
Calling an old friend always work. No better way to get over something bad than to relive all the fun shit you’ve done
Former collegiate pitcher here as well and I’ve had mound conferences while getting shelled in which I’d just tell my catcher how fucked up I was going to get that night.