Making the decision to stop letting certain people and things affect me as deeply has truly changed me for the better. Especially over the past month, where I have experienced a lot of change and have learnt a lot about myself in the process.

But up until recently, I was someone who let the world impact on me in a big way. I absorbed negativity and carried the weight of other people’s problems on my own shoulders. It hurt – things were getting too heavy and I was being weighed down by other people’s issues.

I have always been able to look at certain people and admire the way they juggle everything within their lives as well as being the shoulder for many people to lean on. Think about people who work as counsellors or doctors or police officers, for example. It’s these people’s jobs to be there for people during some of the hardest moments of their lives, and then they have to go back to their own lives and enjoy themselves without letting the stresses of their jobs impact too deeply.

So, how do we do it? How do we live life so that we are there for the ones we love without getting sucked into unnecessary drama, which will eventually cause us pain as well?

From my experience, it’s about stopping for a moment and thinking: Does This Affect Me? Sometimes it’s so easy to get roped into an argument between 2 people you really care about and end up feeling like you’re somehow responsible for fixing it. Or maybe you’re experiencing a horrible attitude from a co-worker, but you know it’s because they’re going through their own personal struggle and they can’t seem to control their anger. In these instances, as much as you can be there for people and show your support, sometimes it’s best to let things go.

If these issues don’t relate to something you said or did, you can make the choice to move forward. Look at the situation, decide whether to involve yourself in it and what the consequences of doing do might be.

Hey, sometimes you might hear two loved ones fighting about something and you know you have to get involved in order for things to settle. It’s important to pick your battles, speak up when necessary, but also back off and let people fight their own battles themselves.

Be open, be approachable to others who still may need your help and advise. Don’t forget to stop and think before getting involved in drama that’s bigger than you may be able to handle, no matter how big your heart may be.

In the end, caring for ourselves and our own wellbeing should always come first – even though it rarely does, unless we make a conscious effort to stop, think and decide whether to fight or let things go.

Thanks for reading,