Ranting and raving about your bad day? Check out how to let negativity go & move forward
Have you ever had a bad day or something inconvenient happen and you immediately vent and share this annoyance with anyone who will listen? Unfortunately, I do this all the time.
I call my best friend, my husband or Mom and say “I HAD THE WORST DAY!” and from there it goes on and on, all day, and maybe even all week. I relive the event over and over. Why do I do this!?
A talked to a good family friend about the event and he asked me empathetically: “How many times have you told this story today?” That simple question took me aback because I realized I had probably told it more than 3 times to different people. I realized how exhausted and bitter I felt because I continued to relive and react to the event. It was also exhausting for the people around me.
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If you are thinking about times you’ve done this, that’s OK! We are human, we are social beings and we like to express ourselves. But when do we draw the line?
I think it is good to vent to someone you trust if you need to, and more so when it’s fresh. Holding onto that negativity and waiting to tell the next person is unnecessary and not good for inner peace.
If you notice you are on the receiving end of this type of behavior, have compassion and validate the person but ask them: “how many times have you told this story?” It will bring awareness to the person and help them to understand and let go. My friends often would say, “okay, talk about this for ten minutes more and then after we are going to let it go and go out and have fun!” It validated my feelings but then it allowed me to refocus my energy and be able to enjoy the rest of my day.
If you find you have this tendency to rehash inconveniences or irritating events, I challenge you to press pause. Embrace the positive, let go of those inconveniences and see the good in your day, week, month or year. Life is what you make it. We have all the power to change our mind set. Take a step back, reflect, breath and move forward. You’ll be happy you did.
How do you unwind and leave your frustrations at the door at the end of the day?
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