Flip That Thought

We all have little things that annoy us about our loved ones, right? The relatives came this past weekend and even though I’ve been stressed, I was able to push through those moments of annoyance and keep them to myself. (And thankfully, they were able to grant me the same kindness when I annoyed them.) High-five for healthy reactions!

But after the relatives left, I realized my healthy reactions left as well! When little annoyances pop up with my daily people, it seems that I am not granting them the same kindness. Turns out the whole “keep it to yourself” thing is way easier with visitors than with your daily people.

The Yoga Sutra (a 2,000 year-old life advice book) has a section that addresses this need. It says that when encountering persistent negative thoughts, you can actively combat them by flipping that thought to the exact opposite.

“That soup slurping is driving me crazy” flips to “clearly he is enjoying my soup”.

“She left her tennis shoes in the middle of the floor again” flips to “thankfully my kid is healthy enough to need tennis shoes”.

Hokey? Yes, maybe on the surface. But remember that proud high-five feeling after the relatives left? I’d also like to feel proud of my healthy reactions with my daily people. So if this is what it takes to combat those little persistent annoyances, then I’m rolling up my sleeves! Flip away, baby!

Until Next Time,

Laura

NOTE: The Yoga Sutra is a book of 2,000 year-old life advice, not a religious text. Yoga is not a religion. For those who want to read it directly, this advice is found in Yoga Sutra section 2.33