08 Nov HOW WELL DO YOU BOUNCE BACK FROM AN UPSETTING EXPERIENCE?
Do you ever get upset?
Of course you do! Unless, of course, you’re a robot!
If you’re human, which I assume you are, then it’s completely normal and at times appropriate to experience a range of distressing emotions; from anxiety to anger, depression to guilt.
That’s all OK. But what’s also OK is doing what you can to manage this as best you can as soon as you can.
How you cope or bounce back is the subject of this great article by Susan Krauss Whitbourne in Psychology Today …
Although you may think of yourself as a resilient person, some experiences can test that inner strength. You’d like to be able to move on as if nothing happened, but the truth is that the sting sticks around in your mind and you can’t make it go away. Perhaps you’re part of a volunteer committee or work-related team in which you are one of the older individuals present. Someone suggests that when it comes to picking leadership, it’s time for “new blood.” “Wow,” you think, “does that mean my blood is old?” For the next several days, you question your self-worth, feel that maybe it is time for you to step back from things, and feel self-conscious whenever you’re with that group of people.
By contrast, you have a friend who you think has gone through a pretty bad experience themselves. This person submitted an entry for a competitive event and just received feedback from the judges. To you, the wording of this feedback was unduly harsh and unfair. However, your friend seems undaunted. “This will help me the next time,” they say, “I can definitely learn from the experience.” You’re impressed by this mature and open-minded reaction, and you wonder if you would respond the same way in a similar situation.
The ability to recover from a potentially negative experience involves a set of complex personal qualities and perspectives. Positive experiences are definitely easier to take, but they don’t necessarily produce a universal reaction. Have you ever received a compliment that you felt was too kind? Did you wonder if you really deserved such favorable treatment?
… you can read the full & original article HERE