We all have those moments when we are feeling down and can’t seem to stop thinking about how things bother us. Sometimes, it feels like the little things just pile up on top of one another until you feel like there is no way out.
It’s not easy for anyone to be able to shake off these feelings but here are 10 steps that will help you get through this tough time!
Why We Let Things Bother Us
This might be a question you’re asking yourself at the moment. Why do we let things bother us? I think there are many reasons why, but one of them is how our brains work and how emotions affect how we see events that happen to us. The way your brain works may make it more likely for you to get upset by something, while other people might not be as bothered.
Another important component is how you think about events that happen to you. Do you see how it’s a reflection of your self-worth? If someone says something mean to me and I tell myself “I’m an idiot for caring what this person thinks.” then the event will most likely bother me less.
But how do you change how your brain works? Or how to think about events in a more supportive way? I’ve found that the following steps have helped me tremendously.
10 Steps to Take For When Things Bother You
1. Make a list of how you are feeling.
Make sure to write down what bothers you as well as how it makes you feel – this will help keep track of how your mood is changing through the day/week. You can also take note of how you react to the things that bother you – do they make it harder for you to get through a work task or just irritate you?
Once your list is complete, write down how likely or unlikely these feelings are. Is this something that happens often? Is it an occurrence once in a while? Keep this list with you for the next week so that when other things happen, you can refer to how they may affect your mood and how likely it is.
2. Remember how good you are at managing your feelings.
We often underestimate how well we can manage our emotions and behaviors in tough times, but it is important to remind yourself how successful you have been with the past when things bother you!
If there was a time that something bothered you and then passed without any consequence make sure to put this on your list.
3. Stay away from negative people.
Negative people are a lot like how we feel when something bothers us – the more they talk about how things bother them, the worse it gets for you!
If there is someone in your life who always seems to be complaining or feeling down on their luck, make sure to avoid that person as much as possible.
4. Find ways to be productive.
One of the best things you can do when feeling bothered by something is to find a way that will help you feel better about it or how they are impacting your life – whether this means starting a new hobby, organizing items in your house, cleaning out an old closet or doing any other task which makes you feel accomplished.
5. Take a break.
If you are feeling really bothered, take some time for yourself! Clear your schedule and spend the day how you want to – whether that means going shopping or taking an hour-long nap.
Resting is important so make sure not to push through this step if it feels like too much just yet.
6. Recognize how you are feeling.
It is important to recognize how your emotions affect how the things in our lives seem bigger and more bothersome than they actually are – once we can identify how we feel, then it becomes easier to decide what steps to take to help improve the situation!
For example, if something bothers us because we think that it will negatively impact how we are seen by others, it is important to stop and think about how that may not be the case.
7. Practice self-compassion.
Self-compassion is how we treat ourselves when feeling bothered or overwhelmed by how the things in our lives have been going – so next time you are having a bad day, be kind to yourself and allow for some downtime!
8. Put things in perspective.
This is a simple step that can have a big impact on how we feel when something bothers us – sit down and take some time to think about how different the world would be if you made this change or how your day may go differently from here.
You’ll find that it’s not as bad as you originally thought, too.
9. Acknowledge what’s bothering you and be mindful of it.
Take some time to sit down and think about how you are feeling. What is making it hard for you? Are there other steps that can help improve how this situation makes you feel? If so, what are they?
It’s important to be mindful and pinpoint exactly what it is that is bothering you. How it makes you feel, why it may make you feel that way, and where these feelings may be coming from.
10.Create a plan for how to manage these feelings in the future.
This is the last step in how to not let things bother you – after reflecting on how your feelings and how these may be impacting your life, it’s important to come up with a plan for how you can manage them so that they don’t end up controlling how we feel.
If you know that the feelings of being bothered will pass without any consequence then it’s important to remind yourself how good a job you’ve done in the past when managing these emotions!
Final Thoughts
The 10 steps we’ve outlined will help you to not let things bother you, but it is important that they are practiced every day.
If this blog post has helped you in any way or given you new insight into how your brain works, please share with a friend and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more tips!