![A photo of clouds reflecting off a still Lake Annette, Jasper, Alberta, Canada, like the cloudy thoughts in our minds when taking things personally.](https://mindfulnaturenut.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/240886860_10157826060266386_971510141181074072_n-2.jpg)
Copyright © 2022 Lee Spirit
Do you ever feel like everything someone says is all about you? I have noticed lately that I’ve been taking things personally when really it’s not personal! Then I second guess myself: Was it personal, or wasn’t it? Why do we torture ourselves like this? It’s a sure sign that our auras aren’t shining all that brightly. Maybe the dark of winter, and isolation have gotten us down. Let’s work on pulling ourselves back up again. After all, it is Spring, and it’s time for us to come out of our darkness and blossom forth like the flowers!
Do you see the clouds in the lake water in my photo? They are reflecting the cloudiness in my mind when taking things personally. Taking things personally is like cloudy thoughts swirling through the mind. Intuition, on the other hand, has little to do with our minds, and more to do with our state of being and awareness.
Trusting Your Intuition
Speaking of intuition, there’s one case that comes to mind where I trusted my intuition and inner knowing about what someone said, thinking I knew it was all about me. Later, it became apparent that it wasn’t personal at all. I thought my intuition knew what the other person was feeling about me.
It’s not that my intuition was wrong. I just need to remember that my intuition is right about what’s happening inside of ME, NOT what I think the other person meant! In other words, my “inner knowing” knows that what came up for me was what needs healing in ME. That person was likely talking about what was going on inside of them, or what’s happening in their energetic field.
Why Do We Take Things Personally?
We can be so hard on ourselves sometimes that when someone says something that you think has a hidden, negative meaning for you, it’s only because deep down, we believe that to be true about ourselves.
In Don Miguel Ruiz’s famous little book, “The Four Agreements”, he says, “Nothing other people do is because of you. It’s because of themselves”. Each person lives in their own minds, and we don’t know what’s going on in the minds of others. Whatever that person said that you thought was personal was only a reflection of what is going on within themselves.
For instance, if someone insults you, it’s because they have felt insulted in their own life. If you believe it, you get caught up in a story that your mind fabricates that isn’t even true. I’ve noticed how I do this, thinking everything is about me, and believing others know what is going on inside of me. They don’t! I also don’t know what’s going on inside of them!
We so badly want to be loved and accepted, but by not taking things personally, we free ourselves from the need to be accepted. Also, by taking things personally, we are living in fear…Fear that someone doesn’t love me, want me, accept me, understand me, or trust me.
Why Taking Things Personally Is So Bad
Living in this kind of fear only causes suffering. It’s an unhealthy habit to feel that everything is all about you. Believing everything that you hear without listening to the truth of your own heart and soul causes suffering. Getting caught up in your own mind with stories you make up causes suffering.
We want to feel joyous and happy, and we can’t feel that way if we take things personally. This includes the good things people say about us as well as the bad.
“You are beautiful”, says your favourite person. Don’t take that personally, because you know you are beautiful within yourself, and they say it as a reflection of their own beauty.
“I think you’re ugly”, says a stranger. Don’t take that personally because they are only reflecting the ugliness they feel inside themselves.
“You’re such a loser”, you say to yourself. Don’t be taking that personally either! Even the voices in our head are a state of our minds, not who we really are.
The Clouds in Our Minds
As you know, there are many voices and thoughts swirling in the clouds of our minds. Which voice do we listen to? How do we know which one is right? We don’t…That’s why taking things personally, even when it originates in the thoughts of our minds, is a bad idea. We don’t know who we are, what we want, where to go, or what to do, unless we clear the clouds of our minds, and create a neutral space where our intuition can guide us.
We don’t want to go through life feeling angry and jealous. If we stop taking things personally, we know that we are living with our own choices, and it’s not about what someone else thinks we should or shouldn’t do, think, or say.
Click Here To Free Yourself From Negative Thoughts and Attract Joy
The Freedom of Not Taking Things Personally
Don’t take things personally, and you will feel an immense amount of personal freedom. Don’t you want to be free from the suffering caused by your own mind? Free of the pain caused by the comments people make about you? Released from the gossip that is only a reflection of what’s happening inside of them?
You are free from the fear of rejection, and free to open your heart. Go ahead and be vulnerable without feeling hurt, judged, or criticized. You will attract more joy, love, peace, and happiness because that is what you feel inside and who you really are.
With these tips, it will be easier to let go of taking things personally so you can live more joyfully. You are free to shine the light of your soul when you remember, it’s not all about you! 🙂
Lee Spirit is an avid outdoors adventurer with a love for nature, photography, health & fitness, wellness, and spirituality. She helps those who suffer from anxiety & negative thinking to become healthier in mind-body-spirit. Her own personal journey has led her to the study and practice of mindfulness, health, wellness, yoga, spirituality, sound healing, meditation, and personal development for over 20 years. Get mindfulness, meditation, and personal development tips in her Free Natural Mind Healing Report.