A few weeks back, I was dealing with a situation that had me really frustrated. I’m not often a very emotional person, but I recall feeling the heat rise up through my face and I noticed that I was sub-consciously balling my hands into fists as I walked around to take a breather.
Part of what made it all the more frustrating was the fact that I knew I was over-reacting. On any other day, it would have been a minor annoyance that I quickly brushed off but on that day…it was just like a perfect storm of minor inconveniences which blew up to something greater than the sum of its parts.
After a few days, I was reflecting back on the situation and started my usual mental gymnastics to try and downplay it. I used minimizing verbiage and tried to refocus things on the eventual resolution of it all. However, in doing so, I was also invalidating a core element of the situation - how I was actually feeling in the midst of it.
Was I being a bit extra? Yes
Was I overreacting? Probably
Did Grace politely listen to me and then tell me to man up after chugging her Guinness? Yeap
3 Associated Thoughts
How often do we just allow ourselves to feel or think freely devoid of any sense of guilt?
Focus is often put on our actions - how did we deal with the situation? While very important, our emotions also reflect what our gut is telling us. And if we choose to ignore that message, we’re leaving some important reflections on the table as well.
“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.” – Dale Carnegie
2 Pieces of Content
Here’s why you should let your mind wander — and how to set it free (WaPo) - When we reflect on memories, imagine what could have happened or how a certain scenario could play out in the future, our brains store this information the same way they do a real experience. And just as our experiences inform our future decisions and ideas, so can these simulations.
How to Stop Overthinking and Start Trusting Your Gut (HBR) - In the age of big data, trusting your gut often gets a bad rap. Intuition — the term used to refer to gut feelings in research — is frequently dismissed as mystical or unreliable. While it’s true that intuition can be fallible, studies show that pairing gut feelings with analytical thinking helps you make better, faster, and more accurate decisions and gives you more confidence in your choices than relying on intellect alone. This is especially true when you’re overthinking or when there is no single clear-cut, “correct” option.
1 Random Thing
🚞 - Ryan Trahan’s video makes me want to spend $10k a night to take a train across Europe - I Tried Every Seat on the Most Expensive Train
Have a great week ahead.