How To Snap Out Of A Bad Mind Set And Get Back On Track

Ever find yourself reacting to things instead of behaving? Lashing out at people, muttering mean remarks under your breath and generally not being the you you like the most? Well, I certainly have.

I’ve had days when it feels like the whole world is annoying me and I’m surrounded by idiots. I start telling myself that I don’t suffer fools gladly and all the while my friends and family have to deal with me. Being horrid.

Over the years I’ve come to realise that the world isn’t just out to get me or that for some reason I have been singled out for special treatment by a seemingly endless stream of morons. It’s me. I’m the problem. I’m what’s wrong with this picture.

It’s in that moment when I have to remind myself that I have a choice about how I respond to what’s going on around me. I can behave instead of react – knee jerk style. I’m not saying it’s easy because taking responsibility for myself and my feelings is the road less traveled. It’s harder to do that. It’s much easier to play the victim and act like everyone else is to blame.

They aren’t. The only one responsible for my feelings is me. When I find myself caught up in the cycle of blaming others and feeling like a victim, I have to remind myself to take a step back, take a deep breath and then commit to making a choice to behave differently. I remind myself that I don’t have to react immediately. I remind myself that my knee-jerk response may not be my best response.

I also draw my attention to my thoughts, which can sometimes seem like naughty children running around my head creating chaos. I remind myself that I’m in control of them as well, they’re not in control of me. My thoughts about events, people, situations, myself…whatever are just thoughts. They aren’t facts. So I start to consciously think different thoughts.

When I start making conscious choices about my thoughts and my behaviour, I like myself better and I’m a much nicer person to everyone else. And when I’m in that sort of head space, cool stuff starts happening!

So the next time you feel grumpy, moody, indignant and hacked off try taking a step back and consciously look at your choices, ask yourself how you would like to behave in the given situation rather than just going with your knee-jerk reaction.

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