Christine Hassler

Expectation Hangover: Overcoming Disappointment in Work, Love, and Life Christine Hassler

When our expectations are met and things go according to plan, we feel a sense of accomplishment and pride; we feel safe, in control, and on track. But when life does not live up to our expectations, we end up with an Expectation Hangover. This particular brand of disappointment is profoundly sobering and uncomfortable.

Christine Hassler suggests that instead of wallowing in regret, self-recrimination, or anger, we can see these experiences as catalysts for profound transformation. When we learn to respond to Expectation Hangovers as students rather than sufferers, doorways open to possibility. Often it is only when life throws us a curveball (or several) that we look in a different direction. When we fully process our Expectation Hangovers on the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual levels, we learn courage, faith, surrender, and love, and we make room for the kinds of unexpected things that lead us more directly to a life we love.