stop taking things personally

Feels like I am making progress… I don´t think everything is about me or because of me anymore. I don´t mean that in a sense that everything has to revolve around me, but sometimes that is just how you feel. And it´s not even in a positive way. Who wants to think that this or that didn´t work out because one was in the way or doing this or that the wrong way. It was hard at first but I am getting to the point where I don´t think that it´s because of me and the way I am. Somebody´s grumpy, no, I didn´t do anything to offend him or her, maybe they just have a bad day. Somebody doesn´t wanna hang out with me today? Well, perhaps they have a lot going on.
My friend didn´t call although she said she would? Ok, I don´t like it, but maybe she had a good reason not to.
He doesn´t text? Is there anything to say? This doesn´t have to be about me… it might be, I am not gonna ignore the way people act around me, but I am definitely not going to suspect that I did something to make them act that way. Not everything is about me… either way….

Moods mainly – I need to stop taking people’s bad moods personally and thinking they are my fault when I know for a fact that they aren’t.

I need desperately to stop taking things personally. I don’t like who I am lately. I don’t want to be so touchy all the time. It’s difficult for me to be comfortable with myself, secure with my abilities, and not so worried about whether other people think that I’m good.

I am very defensive by nature but antidepressants are helping A LOT with this!

When discussing something if someone makes a remark which hurts me, I want to continue talking logically, without emotional overtones, and reach a logical conclusion. People dont have anything against me, its only in my head!

I have been paying attention to how much I do this and it’s ridiculous. People are not out to get me. Especially people I don’t know. I have got to get it through my head. Strangers who seem rude or inconsiderate could not care less about me. They would act the same no matter who it was. Today for example, I was out running with my dog and there was another woman running in the opposite direction down the wrong side of the path. Instead of moving to her side as we were about to pass she came straight at me. I had to swerve to miss her. I found myself seriously angry about this. How dumb. She didn’t know me, she wouldn’t have moved for anoone else either. Why would I waste even a minute taking that personal. I think if I just catch myself doing this I can control it.

Really well. Perspective definitely helped.

realize people dont do things
because of me

IM SHOUTING because I am getting tired of this “Self-Defeating Behavior” which is taking over my life.

The core of my problem is that “I THINK I know what people think” which is a poisonous combination with “Taking Things Personally”.

Example: Someone at work that I think is talking behind my back about my compitance approaches me nicely with a suggestion or request. I instantly react defensively and cant help but to reveal my weakness.
Part of me thinks “Im gifted with second sight, this guy cant pull one over on me” and the other part says “Do you think he really cares about you or what you do with your day”?

What are some lessons or suggestions to change this habit?

Today it took me over an hour to drive home (my commute is usually less than fifteen minutes) because there was a bomb threat on one of the freeways. This is bad enough.

Funnily enough (not really) it was about five minutes after I escaped the gridlock, when I was in the middle lane of a three-lane highway, that I hear two short beeps behind me.

I sort of jumped – I wasn’t doing anything wrong; I wasn’t absent-mindedly running over the little reflector lights on the sides of the lanes, my signal light hadn’t been left on, etc.

I look to my left and there is the guy who honked at me, giving me the creepiest shit-eating grin I have ever seen, and as soon as I’ve caught his eye in disbelief he revs his motor and then SHOOTS off like a rocket, leaving me speechless.

I don’t know if that guy was pervy, or just felt like messing with me, or what, but I am completely skeeved out and a little shaken.

Usually when people honk at me I know what I was doing wrong right away, but for once I’ve racked my brains and I can’t think of anything, and I think this is what is making me feel so bad about it – am I that bad of a driver, that I can’t even tell if I’m doing something wrong anymore?
Or was this guy just being a dick?

I guess as far as driving goes, I won’t be achieving this goal anytime soon…