Sharing of thoughts and feelings is a vital emotional need of every human being. Is sharing unavoidable or can you do without it? You might be wondering in times like today where we are already so isolated why this perspective? That is because we seldom share goodness. Most of our time is expended in sharing the unpleasant. You don’t agree?
Let us spare a few minutes on recollecting how and what we share? Usually it’s a gush of bitter emotions where the words flow without barriers. Emotions like disappointment, helplessness, anxiety… Nothing stops, nothing curbs the flow and in the process all the mental clutter is out. For that moment you feel light but the relief is short lived. Because as you share you have spoken about the flaws in a person, or in self or in a system.
Yes, you may find it difficult to agree but please keep a hand on your heart and ponder – What have you spoken about? The answer is – You have spoken issues but not improvements, problems but not solutions. Sharing the negatives is an emotional rollercoaster where you experience a mix of rage and self -pity. And how would one feel at the end of such a ride? Miserable.
Another unique thing about this process is, you always share from your point of view, empathizing more than ever with self. The listener’s conclusion is thus, skewed keeping you from getting a clear picture.
So it goes like this – you share, you waste your valuable mental resources and you get nothing worthy in return. Hence an alternate idea came to me that when sharing consumes such valuable energy and time, why not make sharing worthwhile? Why not seek ways by which you can make the process of sharing more rewarding? A way by which you better your days with every single instance of sharing. I could come up with the following points:
- Follow the rule of right sharing with the right person. This is compartmentalizing your support system. There is no point discussing your workplace problems with your neighbour, similarly its futile to share with your co-worker, how you had a rough morning as that time is already gone. However if you think they can value add given their personality and background go for it.
- Narrate the incident as it is. Do not add your thoughts at the end of each statement. If you need genuine suggestion the listener needs to know the facts not how you felt.
- Keep the conversation crisp and limited to the latest issue. Do not dig the past to establish a correlation. This enables a meaningful conversation where the focus is on the present.
- Try hard to speak without heavy emotions. For instance, when you are angry, your pitch is high, when you are very sad, you sob as you talk. All this does not let the listener help you. Rather most of the time is wasted in pacifying.
- Be open to the analysis. Many a times when the fingers point towards us, we go in self -defence mode. In fact we even end up saying – ‘Put yourself in my shoes. What wold you have done?’ Now this is like forcing the desired response down the other person’s throat.
- Accept and implement. Only discussion leads you nowhere. Put the learning in practice from the next moment itself – both physically and emotionally. That way you will feel good about all the time and energy that you spent in sharing. It also makes the listener feel better.
So here we are – some simple ways to make ‘Sharing – an impending human habit’ worthwhile. Trust the process and repeat it across all your shares – related to work, family, self –doubt, society. The more you repeat the more it becomes a habit. With this, every time you share you take one tiny step towards self enhancement because the solution is within you already.