officially over it

There are many phrases that can be used to describe what happens to us when faced with situations or people that cause disruption in our lives.

Regardless of whether it’s a tragic friend that consistently cycles through dramatic explosions, an abusive partner that continues to issue emotional beat downs, or a work situation that brings up feelings of dread when thinking about going there in the morning, these challenging experiences cause us stress.

Take some time and consider the thoughts that may come into our minds and the feelings that are experienced when this happens to us.

Most of the time we can deal with these through venting to supportive people in our lives or by creating rational arguments for why we are willing to put up with certain things. However, when it gets to be too much, it is up to us to call it quits. Hopefully this decision happens before a nuclear public or private meltdown, but at certain times our feelings can spiral out of our control. Most of the time it is up to us to determine how long we are willing to engage with something. Although we can choose to put up a huge amount of crap, it may be difficult to figure out when to put our foot down and profess that we are not going to take it anymore. In our society, we can’t run away or freak out every time things get tough, but none of us need to get unnecessarily kicked around either.

Remember some of those magical moments in time when you decide that enough is enough. You may be ready to stop engaging with something or feel that confrontation would be a positive option. Although there are many ways to deal with challenges, you may want to consider what methods will cause the least amount of energy to be expended by you and how to keep the carnage and body count to a minimum. Here are a few commonly utilized phrases to ponder when dealing with these types of rough spots.

Putting the last nail in the coffin – It is amazing that some situations require very few nails to successfully seal this box and we are able to end the frustration. There are other times that there are so many nails that have been pounded into this metaphorical wood box that it makes you wonder if the structure will break apart if another one is added. It is up to us to determine how many chances we will give before we tell ourselves that we would be better off without it. Be cautious about how many nails we are willing to use. We may be wasting time and effort instead of just preparing the coffin for burial.

The straw that broke the camel’s back – There are many times where we may feel like the weight of the world is resting heavily on our shoulders and our knees are beginning to buckle under us. Although most of us can handle a lot, we all have our limits. As with many situations, there is a maximum to what we choose to take on. Don’t only think about how much we can handle, but also about how much we want to. Before a likely collapse, try to become aware that the heavy emotions we are experiencing are becoming unbearable and the disaster is looming on the horizon so you can develop a plan on how to best deal with it. This can help us fight off fear of the inevitable breakdown or freak out. It can be helpful to deal with this before it gets overwhelming. 

Before you transform into the exploding volcano of doom or an emotional pressure cooker that is ready to spew its contents all over the kitchen, take some time and figure out some methods of dealing with volatile situations and people before you lose your mind or make a decision that could have negative consequences for you.