...It's not that serious
Lately, I've been catching myself using a phrase that I have found to (mostly) reduce my anxiety, stress, and even anger. A quick four worded phrase that is readily available at the tip of my tongue that helps me recognize that I've been blowing things out of proportion. It is teaching me that I need to learn to quit taking life so seriously and to view things from another perspective. If you haven't guessed already, that phrase is...
"It's not that serious"
I really didn't recognize the magnitude of its effect until I was put into this blunder: I was made to wait. Anyone who knows me well, knows that my biggest pet peeve is waiting on people. I am typically impatient and I am very (very) time oriented. My idea of "on time" is to arrive 10 minutes early. When I'm left waiting, you best believe I've already begun to feel stressed out. I am consistently looking at my watch, pacing around, wondering what could possibly delay someone. As the impatience grows within me, I try to find something that would at least simmer me down. It's really hard for me to practice deep breathing in moments like this, so I find that I like to keep myself distracted. I would either go on Instagram or find a quick YouTube video of something of interest. However, these are just distractions. I know that I'm still harbouring the anxiety within me.
I'm sure by now, as you're reading this, you're probably wondering why waiting bothers me so much. If I'm being honest, I have no idea either. But then again, I realized... what's the point of getting this upset? It's not that serious.
After reminding myself of how I have created my own anxiety around waiting, using this particular phrase made me see that there really is no harm here. So what if I have to wait a few minutes? What' the big deal?
What I love about this phrase is that it can be used for any (non serious) triggers
Forgot to pack your lunch for work today? It's not that serious. Looks like you're eating out!
Spilled some coffee on your pants? It's not that serious. Just a few more hours until it's time to go home.
Mad that the store ran out of milk today? It's not that serious. We'll try again tomorrow.
Upset at how cold it is outside? It's not that serious. Bundle up!
No seats left on the bus today? It's not that serious. Guess we're getting a leg work out today.
Obviously, I would use this phrase for life's minor inconveniences... because it's literally not that serious. It's a great filtering process to help us see that there may be some triggers out there that don't necessarily need to be triggers. By using this phrase, we can disarm that anxiety, stress, and anger within us.
Where would you use this phrase?