- It may help to close your eyes when this person speaks to allow you to only hear the words, not see the physical drama of the emotions backing them.
- Realize that many times it is not you, but something else that has caused the emotional barrage of words. It is the other persons’s perception.
- I realize this may be hard to swallow, but we can’t take those words or emotions personally. They are not our words, leave them alone.
- Take a deep breath before you continue to listen to allow yourself to be grounded.
Know this, that in this big world there are many things, people, and emotions that are experienced daily. However, it is NOT up to us to take on the blame for someone’s bad day or mood. Which much of the time has already been pre-ordained before you even spoke a word.
We tend to take our emotional baggage and put it right in front of the next person, who may be only trying to help. But we can break this cycle with a simple smile or a kind word of “I’m sorry your having a bad day, how can I help?” When we utter these words, we reframe the emotions. It allows the person to stop and realize that the other person in front of them is there to help not pile on more baggage.
I recommend you practice this with family, friends, and colleagues. I’ll bet they stop in their tracks, stand up a bit taller, and thank you for caring enough to ask. After all, that’s all we want someone to lend an ear, a smile, and a kind word. Especially if all we’ve run into is quite the opposite.
Start your day off with a smile and end it with a smile. See better results and no longer have the feeling of being small.
Much blessings,
Doris Muna