Is It a Hill Worth Dying On?

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This past year has been so emotionally charged for me. There have been two deaths in our family, difficult health situations, emotional reunions, new exposure to old wounds and plenty of unintentionally hurt feelings. As someone who naturally ruminates about everything for long periods of time, I’ve found this year to be particularly difficult.

Obviously, we cannot control what life throws our way. BUT we can control how we react to things. Over the last several days, I have been reflecting on how I want to react especially when I experience interpersonal conflict. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

• Realize and remember people are not out to get me (most of the time).
• Determine if the conflict is a hill worth dying on. If it is, go to the person and deal with it directly. If it isn’t, evaluate the situation and see what I can learn about myself from it.
• Determine if I do the same thing to others. If I do… I need to stop.
• Honestly decide if I am overreacting. Am I so hurt because of what was said or done? Or is there a deep seeded issue I need to deal with?  

Clearly, this is going to be a process. And I’m sure I will continue to have the this-is-what-I-think-about-the-situation conversations in the shower. But I am confident that by taking this approach to the stressors in my life, I will be buying less Anxiety Drops.

Have you asked yourself if it is a hill worth dying on or do you fight every battle?