Although for a moment I may take things personally, I quickly regroup and realize that there are ways to rid myself of what seems like a personal attack.  I start by removing myself from thinking negative thoughts and turning to prayer.  I then find something constructive that I can use to learn and grow and/or I give the worry to God. 

It is hard not to take what people say and do personally.  I do want to grow from my mistakes, but I don’t want to be paralyzed by negative influences.  I quickly get rid of any bad thoughts and I pray. 

Getting rid of the bad thoughts is often challenging.  After recognizing that my mind is focusing on unhealthy thoughts, I tell myself it is time to forgive and move on in a constructive manner. 

That might mean forgiving myself or maybe someone else.  I don’t allow myself to dwell in negative thinking.  It is not healthy for my psyche.    

The focus of my prayer is to both realize how I contributed to the issue and to be guided to a solution.  I find that even if I didn’t realize at the time that I was a part of the problem, more often than not I have contributed to the issue in some manner.  Realizing that helps me avoid making the same mistake twice.  Either way, forgiveness is an essential component.

After prayer, I listen.  I listen for opportunities that help make the issue become more clear and for ways to move forward with a solution.  I might receive a phone call or a visit, it could be that I see someone while I am running errands or I have an opportunity to be involved in something that leads me to a moment of forgiveness or closure to the misunderstanding.        

I try to avoid making the same mistake twice.  It is important to me to learn from my mistakes and to minimize the moments of feeling negative about myself.  I might take things personally for a moment, but then I rid myself of those negative thoughts and through prayer move on to something more constructive, a solution.

If for some reason I continue to take the issue personally and feel stress, I give those worries to God.  Often the worry sneaks back in and I have to give it away multiple times.  The moment I feel the worry creep back in I pray and give the worry to God.  Peace comes over my body and in hindsight a solution always surfaces. 

Instead of taking everything personally, I focus on a solution.  I seek assistance through prayer and listen for opportunities to solve any issues.  If stress sets in I give my worries to God and rely on my faith.

Click here to stay connected.