Don't Take ANYTHING Personally
By Susie And Otto Collins. Posted on .
Don't take ANYTHING at all personally.
This can be difficult advice to swallow.
More from YourTango: Talk So That He REALLY Listens
Sure, when a complete stranger cuts you off in traffic while making rude hand gestures at you, it's pretty easy not to take it on. Most of us can chock a moment like that up to another person's bad day (or bad life) that has nothing whatsoever to do with us.
But, there are countless other occasions when it's far more difficult not to take personally what someone else says or does.
When you're sure that your partner's bad mood is all because of you...and you have some pretty clear reasons why you believe that, it's tough not to take it personally.
When your spouse declares that it is "all your fault" that your relationship is screwed up...and you can think of several examples of how he or she might be right, it's easy to take it on.
It can be tricky to just allow the strong words, mood or actions of another person to roll off your back. This is because sometimes you have played a role in a situation or dynamic. Your choices have been part of what has upset, thrown off or otherwise adversely affected the one you love.
What's the harm in taking it personally?
After all, isn't it just as detrimental and disrespectful not to own up to your share or your actions?
Yes, it is detrimental to avoid responsibility, but it is equally bad for your relationship (and your own well being) to take heap the blame on yourself or try to take on your partner’s emotions or mood.
When you take it personally, there is a tendency to be hyper-self- centered. We humans are already self-centered because we look at other people and the world through our unique and situated point of view. But, when you make everyone else's grumpiness, anger, pain and sadness somehow about you, you've crossed into the land of being hyper-self-centered.
This is a place where we all go from time to time.
When you react to other people on a regular basis from this place, it can really cause problems. For one thing, when the situation or the other person's anger or angst truly aren't about you-- or aren't much about you-- then you're misinterpreting.
You're also diverting attention and energy away from your partner or the circumstances when you might actually be able to help...if you weren't so caught up in this being about you or your fault.
It's as if you are wiping up spilled cereal from the floor and only seeing the cereal, milk and broken bowl. What you aren't seeing is that the kitchen walls are coming down.
More from YourTango: Study: Why We Lie About Our Sexual Pasts
When you take things personally, you can’t see what might be a more accurate and possibly even more urgent reality that you could be giving assistance to.
Instead, you are upset right along with your partner and the trouble isn’t being addressed. Usually, anger flares and distance forms in the relationship.
