Have you ever reached a goal and felt strangely flat instead of thrilled? What happened?

A natural way to answer

Yes, when I finished a big course I'd worked towards for two years. I expected to be over the moon, but instead I felt oddly empty. I think I'd pinned all my hopes on that one moment, and real life just carried on as normal.

Key phrases to use

• fizzled out — gradually faded and ended weakly“Our plans fizzled out by August.”
• pinned all my hopes on — depended heavily on one thing for happiness or success“Don't pin all your hopes on one job offer.”
• put things into perspective — help you see what really matters by comparison“A scare like that puts things into perspective.”