KEEP AT BAY
You reach home, panting heavily with random thoughts like, "why should it be only me?"; "Why do people make fun of me?"; "Why are people so mean?".
And voila! You see a swift change in your mood from imagining scenarios and crying rivers to being exasperated at the advertisement for interrupting your drama.
No wonder we hate Spotify ads!
Such a mood spoiler. (duh! 😒)
Now we have a serious question to answer!
Are our emotions so vulnerable that an advertisement could alter our thoughts?
Or is it our perception that makes the whole situation worse?
Situations that drain us physically and mentally are countless. A few of them face it seldom, and a few face it often. However, the aftermath is a pretty interesting thing to discuss.
For instance, let us imagine someone saying something unkind to us. Without our knowledge, thoughts begin to mushroom in our mind like, 'why should I suffer every time?’; 'am I really what they say?'; 'ah! I wish I were like them?'; blah blah. By giving room to such thoughts, we spend more energy and time on such meaningless thoughts and end up gasping for air in unimaginable and unbelievable scenarios in our minds.
In the future, if we were to come across a similar situation, all we do is 'search' - 'rewind' - 'play' our thoughts of the past.
And what do we get?
Uninterrupted supply of pain. Lifetime subscription that we never asked for.
(Wish we could get Netflix or Hotstar subscription instead😶🌫️)
Isn't it rightful to say that it is not what happens that causes more pain, but it is our thoughts that make the situation worse tenfold?
Indeed there will be pain. However, instead of getting obsessed with the situation and assigning our own meaning to it, drowning in self-hatred, try giving less importance to such negativity.
If someone expresses their dislike towards you, initially you may feel bad, but hey, at least you do not humiliate others as they do!
Well, a plus point!
Giving importance to others' opinions about ourselves is the mistake we repeat intentionally. We tend to hurt ourselves instead of defending ourselves.
When all the rivers you had created with your tears dry up, you realize that the pain you endured is not really worthy of the situation. Instead, it is our mind that makes it unbearable.
What to do?
Do not give a damn.
Easier said than done?
Well, at first, it will be difficult.
There is a hack for you to get through it.
Work on something you love. Try to dump all your creativity, energy and time into something that gives you happiness and makes you feel proud.
And this confidence is enough to keep other negative thoughts at bay.
Build your own definition of life!
Peace out, fam!