It's inevitable that at some point in our lives we're going to be disappointed. No matter how big or small the disappointment, it's never a good feeling. Remember back in the day, when you would do something wrong, and, instead of yelling at you or grounding you, your parents would give you the "We're disappointed in you" speech? Those were always the toughest fights to get over, because no matter which side of the fight you were on, the feeling of disappointment was hard to deal with.

But wait, before you go reaching for the double-chocolate chunk ice cream or an open bottle of wine to drown your sorrows, consider these tips for dealing with disappointment:

—Make sure you get it all out. Express your hurt or anger however you would but then take a step back and look at the big picture. Should you really waste your time and energy being upset that your date stood you up? No. Don't mope around feeling sorry for yourself. Take a deep breath and ask yourself if what you're upset about is worth getting worked up over. Give it a week, and there will be a new man — an even better-looking and more successful man — at your doorstep, and you'll have forgotten about the jerk who stood you up.

—Don't allow even the biggest disappointments to make you doubt yourself or your decisions. It's so easy to be hard on ourselves and feel like failures when something doesn't turn out right, but you can't beat yourself up about it, because things really do happen for a reason. If your offer was denied on a house, then that house wasn't the one for you. If you spend too much time being hard on yourself, you'll just be wasting time you could be using to finding an even better house. Try to learn from the experience and move forward.

—Adjust your expectations. Often, when people get their hopes up for things, that's when disappointment really hits the hardest. If you go in for a job interview and come out telling everyone that you "have it in the bag," and then the job is given to another candidate, you're not only going to feel disappointed but embarrassed on top of it. Re-evaluate how you handle certain situations if you find this happening too often.

What are some of the methods you use to deal with disappointments in your life?

To find out more about Jenny McCarthy and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.