Please Rewind, Be Kind

How many times do you lie awake at night because you are replaying the events of the day in your head?  Are you wishing that you would have done something differently?  Said something differently?  Are you wishing that there was a rewind button that you could press to go back and change your reaction to something?  Maybe you were rude or short with someone because they were inconveniencing your day.  Was it a server at a restaurant, a co-worker, a customer, your spouse? Maybe you “flipped the bird” to a car that was driving too slowly when you were late for an appointment.  It could be that you mumbled indecencies under your breath about someone but later found out that they heard your words.  Or maybe you shooed off your child that wanted to play with you but you just HAD to send one more email.  Are you wishing for a do-over?  Do you wish that you could simply rewind to that moment and choose, instead, to be kind?

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Dear fertile Myrtle, Kindly Shut the F*** Up

Anxiety, which is categorized by intense feelings of worry and fear, is the number one mental illness in America.   It’s followed very closely with depression in the number two spot.  Depression is prolonged sadness that results in low self-esteem and loss of interest. 

Why do you think they have made their way to the top two most prevalent mental illnesses in America?  Do you think it is influenced by the rise of social media and the comfort it gives those to say unkind things from behind a computer screen?  Is it due to the increase in the rates of bullying in schools?  Maybe it is because of the decline in human interaction due to technology and now from COVID regulations as well?  The truth is that it is due to all of these things and countless more.

What can you do to help?

You may think that you can’t do anything to help decrease these numbers.  You may think that is the job of professional psychologists/psychiatrists.  However, go back to that night that you laid there wishing that you would have done something differently—been kind.  Did you feel anxious that night?  Did you feel a pit of worry in your stomach when you found out that the person you were talking ill of heard what you said?  What did you feel when you saw that the car you sped around with your middle finger waving was a young kid that just got his license?  Did you feel hopeless when you saw that look of disappointment in your child’s eyes as they walked away to play by themselves, again?  These are all feelings of anxiety and depression.  If your actions were different, and you instead chose to act with kindness, maybe you wouldn’t feel this way. 

Is changing your actions going to cure someone with generalized anxiety disorder or major depressive disorder?  No.  However, it may contribute to not adding to the statistics.  You never know what is going on in the life of another person at the time of your contact with them.  So what is the harm in simply treating all people in the same manner you would like to be treated—kindly?  Don’t you think you would also sleep better each night? 

So I challenge you to please rewind, be kind.

In the world of “moving a mile a minute”, slow down before you react.  Play out the situation with your knee-jerk reaction and see if you like the result.  If not, then please rewind it in your head and choose a different course—choose to be kind. 

#pleaserewindbekind

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