Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Let Go of the Aggravating Small Stuff

We’ve all been there in new relationships, letting those little annoyances ruin a moment, a dinner, time spent together or even the relationship. We all have someone in our life that have those annoying traits about them that just drive us up a wall and sometimes even the stranger in the supermarket line.

You can feel the irritation starting to build. In new relationships, we spot those little annoyances but we want to give the ‘getting to know you stage’ the benefit of the doubt but it still annoys you. Well guess what, you are the only one who is getting annoyed and if this irritation happens often for you, it is not a very kind thing to do to yourself and definitely don’t think it is not noticed by your new guy or others you deal with.

Those small frustrations and irritations wield a lot of power over us because they rob us of the illusion of control. But every problem or irritation is a potential teacher–a confusing situation is an opportunity to practice mindfulness, just as difficult people provide us with opportunities to display compassion.

Going With the Flow

So how does one learn to embrace the bigger picture and let go? Take notice, I did not say ‘put up with’ as that energy still has the aggravation, you just stuff it somewhere within you. We experience numerous disappointments each and every day. Our expectations go unmet, our plans are blocked by circumstance, our wishes go unfulfilled, and we discover that our lives are subject to a myriad of forces beyond our conscious control.

In some cases, the response is powerful because you are trying to overcome a genuine hardship. But most of the time, our reactions are far more impatient than the circumstances warrant. The tension that is put into our bodies and minds when we are late for an event, interrupted at work, or sitting in traffic is not inappropriate but it can interfere with our well-being in destructive ways.

When we stop worrying about and trying to control relatively unimportant matters, we can be at peace and devote much more of ourselves to what is truly important, finding how to be happy with and be at peace with you and the life you are living.

The basic solution to get past life’s irritation is to teach yourself to go with flow. What is going with the flow? It’s rolling with the punches. It’s accepting inconvenience and change without getting angry or frustrated. It’s taking what life gives you, rather than trying to mold life to be exactly as you want it to be. Easy? Absolutely not! It takes practice, prayer and patience but if you are wanting to stop seeing every small irritation or problem as a potential for your body to tense up and feel unhappy, then these suggestions just might help you let go.

10 Tips on How to Let Go

1. Realize that you can’t control everything.
2. Become the watcher of your feelings and behavior. Journal them.
3. Learn to deep breathe through a challenge.
4. Get a perspective on how big this really affects your life on the whole.
5. Practice, prayer and patience for the behavior to change.
6. Accept change and imperfections in yourself and others.
7. Expect baby steps in learning the “go with the flow” lifestyle.
8. Learn to laugh and find the humor in your thoughts over the ‘small stuff.’
9. Be pro-active in your change by reading uplifting books and listening to positive affirmation tracks.
10. Meditate or at least take 10 minutes quiet time to stop the inner mind chatter. It works!

Susan Z

Susan Z Rich is an emotional addiction counselor, spiritual intuitive and holistic therapist. She counsels others to see life in a more positive way and teaches personal accountability for life choices. She is also the author of several children’s books and Soul Windows…Secrets From The Divine.