I greet you with hands clasped together in gratitude.
Stop bitching!!!! Stop complaining!!!! Stop whining!!!! I mean seriously! Other than a simple, easy way to vent, does it really help?
Right about now your screaming at your screen telling me to shut up. Maybe you’re even telling me that I don’t know how difficult your life is, what kind of stressors your dealing with in your life, etc. Honestly it doesn’t matter. We all have stressors in our lives. Sure, some are more difficult to manage than others while others may even seem insurmountable, but honestly bitching about how bad your life is and how no one ever understands you is a waste of valuable time and energy.
Bitching is reactive. If you believe you have the right to bitch and bitching is helpful, please do not read further. If you’d like to make an attempt at being more proactive in your response, please continue to read on.
These are just a few simple steps which I take because I can find myself in the same scenario and if the conditions are right, I can find myself falling off the wagon and bitching.
The first step which I take is to stop using words like “can’t” and phrases like “I can’t.” If you believe you “can’t” you are correct and again you should not read further. This phrase drives me nuts and if in a conversation with someone who continues to use it, I will walk away. I run for fun and exercise and am often asked how far I run. I plan on 4-5 7-mile runs each week. I am also often asked where I find the time to rise at 4AM to run and I respond, “I don’t find the time; I make the time.” Then I hear, “I can’t do that…” which is followed by a number of excuses. The bottom line is if you truly want to do something, get up and do it. If you can’t because there is a true impediment to accomplishing this task, ask for help. If the person or persons you have asked for help are not helpful, ask someone else. Many symptoms of “anxiety” and “depression” result from our refusal to make sometimes difficult decisions right now which will impact us positively in the future. We are afraid to make a decision, afraid to fail, afraid to make a wrong decision.
The second step I take is to assess the control I have over whatever the stressor is. We have more control over a great deal of our life than we believe we do. I’m not talking about the ultimate control which results in stopping a situation from happening but perhaps there is enough control to impact the outcome. Again, I introduce the word “can’t” and the phrase “I can’t.”
The third step is to assess what help and resources you need. Is this something simple? “I feel anxious when I watch the news.” Stop watching the news or in the advent of 24-hour news, stop watching as a story is repeated again and again and again and again. Is this something more complex? My garage needs a new roof. Do I have the skills? No? Hire someone to do it.” If you can and want to do it yourself, what do you need to have in place to make this endeavor a success? Plan it and do it. The more involved the situation, the more involved the plan and the more resources we may need. Sometimes the help we need is professional help. There is nothing wrong with asking for help. It amazes me everyday how people will bitch at how bad their life is and not ask for help and often when help is available and offered, it is rejected.
The fourth step is go out and make it happen. You have set a plan, identified the resources you’ll need to be successful and have embarked on activating the plan. Go out and make it happen. A good plan, even the best plan will have faults because we’re human and we cannot think of everything. No worries…go back to the drawing board. No one tells us this is an option and many of us are afraid of failing. So what! You aren’t the first person to fail and you won’t be the last. I hate to burst your bubble but if you believe you are never going to not be successful doing something…it is amazing to me how wrong you are.
I believe it’s the word “failure” that scares us. Many of us were raised to believe that failure which is also known as “not being successful” is a bad thing. We are afraid to fail. So many of us are paralyzed by that fear and we refuse to even try because “what will people think if I’ve failed?” What will people think if you don’t try? What will you think if you don’t try?
There is a simple question I ask myself everyday especially when I am frustrated and am experiencing some difficulty seeing my way out of a problem. The question is “What am I thankful for today?” It may seem like a stupid or ridiculous question but I’ll bet you’ll have a great deal of difficulty identifying what you are grateful or thankful for in your life. I don’t care if what you come up with especially initially sounds cliché. That’s sad. Many of us take our lives for granted. We blame others for the negativity in our lives and then we find ourselves immobilized.”I’m grateful I woke up this morning.” Many people will not wake up today. Celebrate your gratitude for waking up and having the energy to get out of bed and pursue your life.
Life is made up of healthy doses of fear with a little anxiety mixed in for good measure. These aren’t bad things. These are the ingredients which make life a little more spicy and worth living.
I have a hope for everyone. That hope is simple…May you be able to step back from whatever stressors are building in your life and assess the amount of control you have over those life issues. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if that’s what you need and don’t be afraid to fail.
Namaste
The Stoic Social Worker 