I can’t stress enough how important it is to take a step back, and be mindful whenever you are annoyed, stressed, upset, or angry at someone or something. It is best not to react in these situations.
I recently experienced a stressful situation at work, but I decided not to lash out at the people I felt upset me. I decided to take a step back, not react, and breathe in and out. Once I was able to do this. I was able to clearly analyze the situation. What happened?, why it happened?, how I can cope?, and handle the situation? I was also able to do some perspective taking.
I realized that the stress was created not from them, but from my mindset, and my perspective. I realized that not everyone stresses about the things I do, and we all are different. I may like things planned and organized, but they may not see things that way, or maybe there was a reason why things happened the way it did. It is upsetting when things don’t go the way I want to, but this is something I have to learn to cope with. I shouldn’t take it out on others.
We must realize the world does not revolve around you, me, or anyone else. This is important to remember. This is something we all seem to forget, which is why many conflicts arise. It is okay to be upset, stressed, annoyed etc… The problem is how you react to those emotions. We all have something that bugs us, but we must learn to be aware, understand, and accept that part about us, and learn to handle things in a mindful way.
There are three steps to handling upsetting situations mindfully. First, take a step back. Do not react. Then take deep breaths in and out(continue doing this), and this will lead you to analyze the situation more clearly. Now why I say reacting doesn’t help is because it can make a little problem persist longer than it should if you do so. You can end up feeling guilt, shame, and even resentment for yourself if you end up reacting, and lashing out. You don’t want this.
After the episode ended. My emotions eventually faded, and my day went on normally. I did not feel guilt, or shame, because I was able to handle the situation in a mindful way. I was back to being happy again. This is important to remember that your emotions will eventually fade, but the behaviors from your actions can last much longer. It may possibly ruin your whole day, and make you even more upset.
This is hard at first, and may be difficult at times, but it is something to try to work on. This can benefit you greatly, and cause less problems in your life. It can help little problems remain that way, so that they don’t turn into big ones. It can help you go on about your day like nothing happened. This is for your peace of mind.
Psychology of Mindfulness 