We have all done it some time. We’ve totally lost our patience and lost our minds. We’ve screamed, yelled & cried. We’ve thrown tantrums of epic proportions. We’ve caused our co-workers or family members to question our sanity, and although we may not have noticed, their hands had quickly dialed 911 on their cell, and their thumbs sat anxiously on the “send” button. We’ve all lost it before. This is one of my favorite viral videos of all time. This kid loses it. His mom cancelled his “World of Warcraft” account, an online gaming and role playing video experience. I’m not sure why she cancelled it, but after watching the video, it may have something to do with misusing or abusing the remote. Ummm… might want to disinfect that thing.
Among other things, this video begs the question of each of us,”What makes me LOSE IT?”. Is there anything, or things, that cause you to totally lose your mind? You say things you shouldn’t, do things normally you wouldn’t, and in the end leave a wake of misery or mockery. I’m about to blow your mind with some observations about losing your mind.
- I believe we hold different and sometimes unfair standards for different people. The most obvious and glaring example of this are our family members. Sometimes they get way too much slack, but many more times we’re less patient with our kin than we are with strangers. It might not be a bad thing to pause and ask ourselves pre-eruption, “Would I be acting this way if it was a complete stranger, or a co-worker that had caused me to be upset?”
- You will always, always, 100% of the time always look like a fool when you lose control. You may think it’s appropriate to show how serious the infraction was, or how just your cause is, and therefore justify your mind losing fit. Just a hint… you still look like an idiot. Chill out.
- This too shall pass. Yep, whatever your world exploding, end of civilization as we know it experience is, a week from now it will seem much smaller. A month from now you’ll be embarrassed at your behavior. A year from now? Well, let’s just hope no one caught it on tape. Life is too short to allow ANY situation to destroy you, your reputation or the heart of another person.
- You’ll look like less a fool later if you protect yourself now. There are some simple things you can do while you still have your sanity and are somewhat connected to reality that may prevent you from losing it, or at least minimize the catastrophic consequences of a meltdown. Not all of these are necessary, and not all of them may work for you, but hey… try something, especially if you have a ballistic past or a short fuse. Don’t know if you ARE a short fuse person? Ask someone you trust to tell you- and then don’t yell at them when they are honest. Here are some suggestions to help “Lose It Losers”…
- Count to ten… or fifty… or one hundred, before you explode… time allows you to get your composure.
- Breathe in deeply through your mouth, and exhale through your nose for a few minutes. It will help you relax.
- Leave. Sometimes you need space, and so does the other person. For safety. For peace of mind. For a while.
- Talk PRIVATELY with a 3rd party who doesn’t have “skin in the game”, someone who can be objective. Ask for honest feedback.
- Put yourself in the other person’s shoes, if only for a few minutes. Ask yourself how or why things could have happened like they did. Sometimes theirs a good reason.
- Self examination is critically important. Is there something you could have done, said, prepared, educated or otherwise availed yourself to have kept this from becoming a bad situation? If you have some culpability, it may curb your lava flow of frustration just a bit.
So, here’s your chance to vent just a tad… What are the kinds of things that cause YOU to LOSE IT?
What works best for you in preventing you from having a complete meltdown?