With smaller annoyances, we tend to try and dismiss the event as insignificant, trivial, and easily moved on from. We often try to ignore the event or think that we did so, yet later that day/evening the annoyance returns to our thoughts. We might not tell anyone about what happened, for fear that it won’t mean anything to that person or that they may ridicule us for getting hung up on such a little thing.
When we hold onto any negative event in our head, the thoughts of it become exaggerated due to something termed as catastrophizing. It’s our brain's way of expanding the danger to bring clarity so that we can fix the issue. Unfortunately, when we catastrophize, we create a reality that doesn't exist.
If the annoyance has been and gone, we are left with only two options; try and dismiss it, or talk to someone about the annoyance to bring balance to our thoughts.
We know that trying to dismiss something that is playing on our mind generally doesn't work so we are left with talking to someone about it. Talking almost always helps us when we choose the right person.
There is a third option you may wish to try - “Run to the fire” - a mantra I coach. Bring the annoyance to the fore as it occurs. For the majority of us, we should deal with little annoyances at the time to prevent them from playing on our minds.
Should We Sweat The Small Stuff?