In episode 112, “Don’t Waste Time Feeling Sorry for Yourself”, we discuss practical tips on how to quit the pity party and practice gratitude more. Training yourself and others to be more grateful will help you become more mentally tough. We continue our book study mini series over Amy Morin’s 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. Learn how to take back your power, embrace change, face your fears, and train your brain for happiness and success.
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The Negatives to Feeling Sorry for Yourself
We’re all guilty of it, so it comes to no shock when we see the ones around us do it too. You guessed it, pity parties. We’ve all had our bad days and pity parties can look differently depending on your circumstance. If you’re a two year old, your pity party looks like a temper tantrum. If you’re 45 and got passed on a promotion by a young, new hire, it can look like complaining to your buddy on your commute home. We’ve all done it, but how to we quit the pity party?
Even if you aren’t the serial complainer, you may be around someone who is. It may be a coworker, a friend, or even your child. Whoever it is, we can all stand to have a little more positivity in our lives. This may look like you unfollowing people on social media, not sitting with a certain lunch crowd, or even being more mindful in your headspace. If you’re a leader, whether that’s at your job, on the field, or in your home, you don’t want to be around whiners. Episode 112 gives you the tactics on what to do and how to combat this negativity.
If you’re struggling to find the positives, you’re in a rough patch, or even something as subtle as a negative narrative in your head, make sure you hang around to learn the solution. Sticking to this negative narrative will hinder you and others from having fulfilling lives and create spiraling negative thoughts. Episode 112 is full of details and step by step, so be sure to check it out.
How to Combat Pity Parties
If you had a friend who was complaining, would a good friend jump right in and agree with them and continue the negative talk? No way! You’d pep your friend up and try to have a positive outlook on the situation. So, why not do the same for yourself? The solution really is this easy: Gratitude! Practicing gratitude brings about so many benefits that we can’t even name them all in episode 112!
There is biblical, scientific, and psychological proof backing up the power of gratitude. We go over several examples of how this can look in your busy life in episode 112, so make sure you scroll up to listen. It’s important to build thankfulness into your day, no matter the situation. Whether it’s journaling, calling a trusted accountability partner, or even saying one thing you’re thankful for around the dinner table, gratitude matters. Check out our favorite gratitude journal HERE.
If you’re still stuck, make a conscious effort to do something that contrasts that negative thought. If you are struggling to wake up and go to a job you don’t like, flip the switch and actively think about how you’re grateful for a paycheck. It may sound cheesy at first, but the payoff is great. Again, we give multiple examples in the episode so that you can find what works best for you in this stage of life.
More Tips on Gratitude
Along with keeping a gratitude journal, here are some other helpful tips on growing and maintaining your thankfulness skill set. These will help you have more positive emotions, become more social, along with many other benefits we discuss in the episode:
- Model gratitude to others
- Have a 6:1 ratio of gratitude:complaint
- Speaking gratitude aloud
- Reality check yourself as needed
- Have wise counsel speak life into you
- Focus on what you can actively do to move in an upward trajectory
We also discuss several verses that back up gratitude and can help you shut down those negative thoughts. There are many verses that discuss thankfulness, but the ones we mention in this episode are: 2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 4:13, Matthew 5:45, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 Corinthians 15:57.
We hope you enjoyed “Don’t Waste Time Feeling Sorry for Yourself”, and that you have practical, actionable steps you can take. Be sure to check out this entire 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do mini series (13 Things mini series) about a simple & proven way to become more mentally tough. You can do this! We’re here to help. Click the affiliate image below to get your copy of Amy Morin’s book.
Links From the Show
- Witty & Gritty Patreon
- Book: 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do (affiliate)
- Grit Mini Series (episodes 19-25)
- Daring Greatly Mini Series (episodes 28-38)
- Everything is Figureoutable Mini Series (episodes 40-51)
- Switch On Your Brain Mini Series (episodes 55-62)
- Get Out Of Your Head Mini Series (episodes 84-91)
- Atomic Habits Mini Series (episodes 102-111)
- Amy Morin’s Instagram
- Episode 91 Casey & Anxiety
- Tiffany’s Episode 90: Combat Unhealthy boundaries
- Episode 51 Paul’s Interview
- Truthfilled Bible Study by Ruth Chou Simmons
