This is a hard concept to live by. It’s something way easier said than done, and much harder to remember the moments we need it. If you have Rejection Sensitivity, this is exceptionally hard- or at times even impossible feeling- to accomplish.
How much power are you giving to others when you take their words or actions personally?
What has taking things personally stopped you from accomplishing- or even trying?
What would it be like to wake up one day and have the ability to not take things personally?
There’s no way to know what motivates an individual to do/say the things they do/say in the moment. We don’t know what internal battles they are fighting, where they are coming from or where they are going. We don’t know what their experiences or interpretations of words/acts are and how they may differ than our interpretation of them. We don’t know if a person is being thoughtless and not realizing what they are saying/doing, or when their actions are intentional.
If someone says/does something that brings up a bunch of negative thoughts/feelings, how can you catch yourself and remember to not take things personally?
What does not taking things personally look like, feel like, sound like?
How could you implement what you need to help you not take things personally?
How much are you reading into the actions/words of others? Is there a chance of misinterpreting things? How would talking to the individual(s) go? Would it accomplish anything?
What stories are you telling yourself about the comments/actions of others that you are taking personally? How rational are they? Is there any truth behind them?
What would help you not take things personally?
What brings on the act of you taking things personally? Is there a pattern or common thread?
Have there been times when you’ve been confronted by an individual who took something you said/did personally? What was that like? How was that resolved?
This all comes back to being mindful and aware. It can be very hard to do in the moment when emotions are strong. It can take time to become aware of when we take things personally and find a helpful way to address it. It may take moments of reflection after the event transpires to be able to see things clearly and address what caused you to take it personally. We aren’t going to get it right every time no matter how many times we try, and that’s okay. Trying is what matters.
