Just Words

I recently had someone share their thoughts with me on how I manage my anxiety. How I handle my stress. How I live with my grief. He had quite a bit to say and it seemed important to him that he tell me all about it.

It honestly felt more like a lecture than anything else. It wasn’t a two-way conversation as much as it was a monologue. And my first reaction was to defend myself. To explain why. To change his mind.

Then the anger set in, quickly replaced by self-doubt. Was what he was saying true?

Before reacting, I took a pause. I mean, he didn’t give me much of a choice. He continued talking on and on. I listened to what he had to say. I let it roll around my brain for a while. I let it sink in.

Luckily, thanks to all of my therapy, life coaching and personal growth, I remembered something. The words coming out of his mouth were just words. Maybe he thought he was helping me. Or he just wanted to make me feel terrible. Either way, I had a choice - to believe him or not. To take what he was saying as fact or to recognize that this was just his opinion, not mine.

Just because words are coming out of someone’s mouth or thoughts are showing up in your brain does not mean you have to believe them. You can acknowledge them and move on without judgement or criticism.

If you would like to learn how to be kinder to yourself or need support in any area of your life, I can help. Schedule a 45 minute session with me or a free 30 minute chat to see how we can work together.

Aloha,

Suzanne