Something I’ve noticed over the past few years is that people have a really hard time sitting with negative emotion. Especially when it belongs to someone else. There is an instinct to try to immediately make things “better” and one of the ways to do that is to fall back on popular adages. These saying are shared with the best of intentions (I hope), but I don’t think these common phrases are actually based in truth, which can then leave a person feeling defective if they end up having a different experience than the one projected on their grandma’s decorative throw pillow.
So this week, I wanted to share some of the common phrases that rub me the wrong way along with my reasoning. I know there will be people reading this who disagree and might even find hope or strength through these expressions. I honestly think that’s wonderful! Life is hard and finding something that works for us deserves to be celebrated. But I just want to point out why it might not always feel good for other people in your life to hear these things.
So, without further ado, here are four things I will NEVER say again: