What strategies do you use to cope with negative feelings?
I like what Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events. And the smallest of minds of all criticize people.
I was a horrible negative person for nearly 37 years. One day I decided I wanted to change. I was tired of the dark cloud always following me everywhere I went. So, I decided it wasn’t worth it anymore. I began to respond to negative feelings and situations instead of reacting.
What is true with nature is true of human nature? 95% of the seed you plant is good and 5% is bad. You can trust 95% of the people and the other 5% of the people are crooks, cranks, cheaters, and crackpots. Do you live your life ruled by the 95% or the 5%?
My coping mechanism is quite simple, I tune them out. And if I can’t I ask God to help manage them. While it is impossible to avoid negative feelings or situations completely. It will happen and we will have to deal with it. Offense and discouragement fall into the trap in which we must not fall. The best way is to practice selective hearing.
“Take no heed unto all words that are spoken, lest you hear someone curse you.
We cannot control what people say to upset us, but we can control if we accept or reject it. I did not give people a chance to say something that would give me a negative feeling. I just smile at them and walk away.
From Pity to Praise 