Dealing with the Ghosts of Past Applications

[profhopes]

For those of you who have applied in the past, how do you deal with present cycles without getting bogged down by the past?  I was chugging along with my work for this application cycle, but this past week, I've had this gnawing feeling.  Last time, I applied to only two schools (for personal reasons).  I was accepted to both (MA programs).  One of the programs lost funding 2-3 months before sending out notices.  The DGS told me, "We are not able to offer assistantships to fine students, such as yourself.  We will be keeping your application for the next year in case funding materializes."  (I'm paraphrasing, but I put it in quotes to show it was written/spoken.)  The other program also accepted me, but I was waitlisted for funding.  I'm a lit. person and later found out this school offers very assistantships to MAs and strongly favors rhetoric and composition people.

P.S., there was another application cycle before that.  Sheer horror.  Total shut-out.  While my results improved, and I also believe my work improved in my second round of applying, it really took something out of me.

To be honest, I don't have a lot of dreams.  This is it for me.  I think that's what scares me.  (I'm not usually this honest.  Thanks for listening, kind folks of the interwebs.)