How to Stop Taking Things Personally

by | February 27, 2018

When was the last time you felt offended by someone? Probably not a long time ago. We live in a crazy world where people often refuse to deal with their own emotions and project them onto others. Their unconsciousness leads to more unconsciousness, creating a vicious cycle.

The good news is that you can change your reality by changing the way you think.

1. It’s Not About You

This is probably one of the most significant realizations that I’ve come to. The best part about it is that you get to the point where you actually want to hear the other person out.

When you develop higher consciousness, you suddenly stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about others. You develop empathy for the other person’s feelings and try to put yourself in their shoes.

For example, your spouse comes home from work and snaps over the fact that you forgot to buy milk. Instead of defending yourself or raising your voice to put them down, remain calm and ask them politely: “Is there something else on your mind? You sound stressed.”

Often people who start a fight are angry at something else, but don’t (or can’t) admit it to themselves. By asking questions, you can help them focus in the right direction.

Of course, if someone is being outright violent in your presence, you don’t have to sit there and listen. But that is a completely different story I’m going to cover in another blog post soon.

2. Don’t Overthink It

People who have negative thought patterns tend to be overly sensitive and have the tendency to worry too much about what other people think of them. It’s very important to learn to let go of overanalyzing everything, because it will drain your energy and it is very likely to lead to depression. People say rude things all the time but their words don’t define who you are—they show who they are.

3. Accept Your Emotions

'I cannot always control what goes on outside. But I can always control what goes on inside.' - Wayne Dyer Click To Tweet

When someone says something offensive to you, you have two choices: you either accept it, or you don’t. For example, somebody calls you “stupid”. If you start defending yourself, this means that you accept their opinion of you. If you refuse to accept it, you will simply ignore the comment or tell them that you won’t accept that kind of behaviour. If they continue to say hurtful things, tell them that you will continue with this conversation when you’re both calm, and leave.

It’s okay to feel hurt sometimes, this doesn’t make you broken or weak. When you realize that you have feelings of sadness, fear or anger, don’t resist them. Simply let the sensation pass.

The only way to get rid of negative emotions is by accepting them. Click To Tweet

4. Forgive Them

Forgiveness is one of the most powerful tools to let go of negative emotions. When you realize that people make mistakes and they don’t necessarily want to hurt you, you will stop taking things as personally. The best way to move on after a tough situation is to forgive and forget. After all, life is too short to waste it like this.

5. Work On Your Self-Confidence

Self-confidence is essential for your overall happiness with life. When you let other people bring you down, it’s a sign that you are not being very good to yourself. Loving yourself is about accepting every part of who you are, including your worst moments and biggest flaws.

If you feel unworthy of love and have low self-esteem, the whole world could seem like a threat to you. But you don’t have to keep your heart locked, fearing that somebody is going to break it again. I would love to help you rediscover your inner strength. Book a FREE coaching session here.

Love,

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