Pet Peeves and Stress
Squeaky doors. Slow Internet connections. No subject heading in an email message. Poor customer service. Ants. Flies. Nose picking. Cracking Knuckles. People who use their linen napkin to blow their nose. Creepy Crawly Underwear. Toilet lid being left up. Toothpaste left in the sink. Empty milk bag in the fridge. Crowded clothing racks when shopping. Air conditioned restaurants and stores that are so cold in the summer that I have to wear a coat. Being put on hold…music while on hold…repeated messages while on hold. People who think that motivation and improvement come through yelling or criticism. Pay-at-the-Pump not working. Using a full service gas station and finding out that you have to go in to use the chip on your credit card. Credit Card chip not working…
Pet Peeves and Stress: How To Handle Them
Pet peeves are a minor irritation or stressor that an individual identifies as particularly annoying to him or her. A key aspect of a pet peeve is that it seems to be acceptable to others.
Some of our pet peeves can move from simple annoyances into being rude or aggressive. Think of road rage. It usually starts because one person was not paying attention or assumed that they had the right to do what they did. The offended party gets annoyed, then angry and then may retaliate.
Beverly`s Hot Tips For How To Cope With Your Pet Peeves and Stress By Building Resilience During Pet Peeves Week:
- Make a list of your pet peeves. There is something cathartic and humorous about doing this. Often awareness can help us to see the lighter side.
- Often it’s these little things that can stress us the most. Learn how to move on and not waste your mental energy or let your blood pressure skyrocket.
- Understand that someone else`s behaviour that annoys you, wasn’t targeted specifically to you. Don`t personalize it and read more into it than there is.
Enjoy this perspective from one pet peeves site:
10 Pet Peeves That Dogs Have About Humans
- Blaming your farts on me… not funny… not funny at all!!
- Yelling at me for barking. I’M A FRIGGIN’ DOG!
- Taking me for a walk, then not letting me check stuff out. Exactly whose walk is this anyway?
- Any good that involves balancing food on my nose, stop it!
- Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons. Now you know why we chew your stuff up when you’re not home.
- The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw. You fooled a dog! Whooooooooo Hoooooooooo – what a proud moment for the top of the food chain.
- Taking me to the vet for ‘the big snip’, then acting surprised when I freak out every time we go back!
- Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests. Sorry, but I haven’t quite mastered that handshake thing yet.
- Dog sweaters. Hello??? Have you noticed the fur??
- How you act disgusted when I lick myself. Look, we both know the truth… You’re just jealous.
Now lay off on some of these things. We both know who’s boss here! You don’t see me picking up your poop do you?
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Contact Beverly about hosting a mental health workshop for your teams on how to build resilience. Learn relaxation strategies, and discover coping tips to deal with stress, change and crisis!
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If you have some strategies to share – comment on this posting!
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Additional Resources:
Road Rage And Losing Your Commuting Cool
Workplace Wellness: Commuter Benefits Can Be Adding To Your Green Program
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