Do you feel part of a group of friends?

If you answer no, you are not alone..

I admit it, I get annoyed, irritated, even angry easily.  Some days it could be missing a change of lights and getting stuck in the traffic, not knowing what I'm going to have for tea, my children asking me the same question 20 different times in an hour, or something totally out of my control like the state of world politics.  Somedays I just wake up irritated due to other stresses.

My brain battles with the fact that the world is not how I would like it to be and is full of "whys and shoulds''.  

Now anger can be a great motivating force for change, however, when directed at things you can't change or don't have the time, energy or inclination to change, it is like banging your head against a brick wall.  

It's hard being angry and annoyed, it takes energy and it hurts the people around me when I am short with my patience or have no space in my world perspective of indignation to listen and be with them. ​

​Do you remember being at the shops and seeing someone you know?  Being a friendly sort you give them a wave or a smile.  But they don’t wave back.  I know, it’s pretty rude isn’t it.  And you might feel a bit of a dill and wonder if other people are looking at you.  Or perhaps you wonder if they are ignoring you on purpose, and that makes you feel a bit anxious.  So perhaps you take on some of this uncertainty and carry it around with you for the rest of the day, or until you see them again.
 
Does your child spill milk on the floor when they are preparing their breakfast, and you think, or say, “bugger, another mess to clean up”?  Especially when you have a busy day ahead.
 
Does this sound like you?  Do you tend to automatically focus on the negative of a situation?  Or do you think, “maybe they didn’t see me”; “isn’t it great he’s becoming independent”.
 
Having a negative response bias is a type of distorted or helpful thinking style.  We all may do this from time to time, but more so when we are under prolonged stress or feeling depressed.  We may see our weaknesses and forget our strengths.  When someone gives us feedback we focus on the negative and reject the positive. 
 
Noticing the positive is a choice, and it is also a skill we can develop.  Maybe the next time you notice a negative thought, look for an alternative explanation, see a different perspective, choose to focus on the positive, and allow the negative thought to take a backwards role.   

If you are a regular reader of my posts you'll notice I mention noticing a lot.  To some people this sounds too simple to be of much help.  It is simple, but that is no reason to dismiss it as not being effective.  Noticing things tends to be the first strategy I teach my clients and it is a practice I use everyday in my own life.

Today was the first day all three children were going to school.  I tend to lay in bed in the morning and listen to them move around each other.  This is not being lazy, this is helping them cultivate their own independence.  Yes, it is.  Also, just like their mother, at least one of them prefers to move around in their own little bubble not interacting with the world until they wake up properly, so sometimes adding more people into the morning mix is not helpful.

However, as I lay in bed I can hear what is happening. Two children needed to be taken to school.   There were two adults available to do the driving this morning and one child was saying they wanted their dad to take them.  At this point I realised it would require another adult, me, to hop up so that arrangements could be made.  As I put one foot on the floor I felt something shift inside me so I took a moment in between placing the other foot on the floor to check in on myself.  When I did I noticed a spot of irritation starting to grow inside me, it was green and spikey.  It was small, but threatened to get bigger.  This feeling was also accompanied by a negative voice.  It sounded a little like a whiney child - "here we go again, the demands are starting'.  Now this was totally irrational and out of proportion to the situation. Here is the exciting bit....

As I placed my attention on to this spot I felt it stop growing and shrink back to nothing.  My irritation disappeared.  This all happened in the time it took to place my other foot on the floor. And I left my room calm

I don't know what you think about this - but noticing, simple yes, effective yes, yes, yes.