Stand up for Yourself

It isn’t always easy to give feedback when someone upsets or frustrates you.

The roots to how easily you do this, stems from your earliest conditioning. When you look back to those early days. Were you shut down or encouraged to speak your view? 

Being heard builds confidence in your ability to tell people when you feel upset or angry by their actions. Being able to stand up for yourself forms the base for building healthy relationships and getting your needs met.

 Let’s begin by doing an inventory on all your relationships and how well you give feedback. Think about your partner, kids, friends, family, work and anyone you have contact with in your community. Pick someone you are frustrated with and have a conversation in your mind about what they did. Practise telling them what your issue is and how it could be resolved. Try to practise this each day when a conflict arises.

 Through this new conditioning you’re preparing yourself to give real time feedback. Your fear of confrontation comes from your past and doesn’t exist in the present. 

The more you practise giving feedback you change your conditioning. While we can’t control another persons’ reaction, we have a responsibility to ourselves to teach people how we want to be treated.

 Getting it right is important modelling to our children. Don’t forget to cheerlead yourself each time you give immediate feedback and watch how people treat you differently when they realise you won’t put up with rudeness. Be prepared to walk away so thy know you mean business.