What to Do After a Setback
Whether academic, relational, or otherwise, we do well to consider how we deal with setbacks. Today we're sharing four things to do after a setback.
Whether academic, relational, or otherwise, we do well to consider how we deal with setbacks. Today we’re sharing four things to do after a setback.
We all experience setbacks from time to time, and it’s likely you’ve experienced at least a couple as you’ve started settling into life at King’s. this is to be expected when you’re doing something you’ve never done before. Perhaps you took the wrong train and ended up twice as far away from where you were going. Maybe you felt like you were prepared for a quiz, only to learn that more rigorous preparation was appropriate.
Whether academic, relational, or otherwise, we do well to consider how we deal with setbacks. Setbacks happen. We can’t prevent them all with good planning and intentionally, so we can at least have a couple of ideas about what to do when they occur.
Thus, today we have four ideas for you about what to do when you experience a setback.
1. Take a walk. Our campus is in the Financial District and close to the water on either side. Choose to give yourself time to think, and walk to the water and back as you do.
2. Talk with a friend. Pick someone who can relate, or someone who’s a good listener. If you’re pressed for time you could even set a timer as you share and then plan a time to connect later in the day.
3. Be curious. Perhaps you need to revisit the situation for it to be resolved (this is especially true for academic setbacks), but it’s okay to take a moment to do something different–to “shake it off.” Open a new tab in your browser, and set a timer; learn about something you’re curious about. After giving yourself a quick break from the issue at hand, you may be able to come back to the problem with more energy and creativity.
4. Do something tangible. Speaking of creativity, sometimes it can help to actually make something. In the life of a student, many of the challenged you face are in the realm of ideas, so give yourself a break to work on a project where you can see tangible progress. Some examples include drawing, painting, cleaning, writing, or cooking.
These four ideas are just a start. You may already have a go-to approach, or maybe you’re considering additional options. Regardless of what you try, remember that going back to the setback itself may be the necessary next step in order for it to be resolved. So after you’ve given yourself a moment to step away from the problem by taking a walk or talking with a friend, go back to it, and do the next step to move forward.