I had a Great Aunt Agnes who always advised that there were forty ways to respond to a negative comment or situation, and the responses were with just one word – “Oh”. You just use different inflections – oh, OH! OOOH! Oh? I think you can see where this is going. Just smile, but keep emotionally level. Don’t say anything but an “oh”. If more is required, say “Oh, that is too bad.” If you must, then leave the conversation, leave the room, or you will slip into other problems before you know it.
Negative people may not ever realize they are downers, and that is exactly how you may feel when you are around them. I think being consistently negative is one simple thing – “A Very Bad Habit”, and because I am “Fixer”, it could almost drive me crazy when I am with someone who always has a complaint, yet he or she won’t take one step to mend or alter their own situation.
However, my characteristic of being a “Fixer” may have well contributed to my Adrenal Fatigue. Therefore, I strive to practice a good habit for me, and that is I will empathize, remotely if possible, and then I will ask if there is anything I can do. Generally, there isn’t one thing I can do, and I must accept that they needed an ear and not a solution. However, I must not let others’ problems dominate my time, my mind or my life – so I determine that I have done all that I can do, and “Let Go and Let God.”
It feels negative to talk of negative people. However, negative people can affect you emotionally, especially if you suffer with Adrenal Fatigue. An Adrenal Fatigue patient may already suffer from negative emotions such as hopelessness and guilt. So when you are with someone and you immediately start feeling negative or diminished have an action plan to put in place – practice forty ways of saying “oh”. It will soon become a natural response, and this may satisfy everyone’s needs.
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