These are 5 ways to lessen the impact of foolish talk.
1: Adjust your mindset
First and foremost, we need to alter our expectations. The reality of the matter is foolish talk is a part of life. As long as there are people on the earth, there will be foolish talk. It’s presumptuous to assume we won’t encounter any throughout the day. But if we accept the fact we will be bombarded with foolish talk the minute we step out the front door, we’re aligning our expectations with reality. This means we’re mentally preparing ourselves. We’re getting ready for the day by putting our shields up.
2: Don’t take it personally
Even though foolish talk was hurled at us, it doesn’t mean we’re the target. There are many reasons why people make cutting remarks. It could be due to their fears or their anger. Maybe they’re having a bad day. Or maybe they think they’re being helpful. Whatever the case, it’s about what’s going on internally with them, rather than us.
After all, how many times have we snapped at someone or responded harshly? How many times was it because we were preoccupied with other concerns?
3: Keep anger at bay
Don’t respond instinctively to a negative remark. Instead, pause and look past the harsh words and view the person through the lens of love. This isn’t always easy. Especially when our sense of justice demands retribution. However, once we engage, it generally doesn’t bring any closure, just regret, and shame. All this does is make us carry the foolish talk in our mental knapsack, once again.
The best way to keep anger at bay is by reminding ourselves of step 2…..repeatedly. Even if that means we need to whisper it aloud. Do whatever it takes to keep anger at bay.
4: Remember our own foolish talk
No one is perfect. We’ve all had bad days. I’m sure there are times in our life when we’ve acted less than stellar. How often have we spoken stuff that sounded really good in our heads but came out a hot mess when we spoke them aloud. How about those times we’ve spoken words we regretted. And how many times have we offended people without even knowing it?
It’s easy to extend grace to others when we remember our own imperfections. After all, isn’t this what Jesus did for us. If He can be gracious with us then certainly we can extend this same charity to a fellow human being.
5: We have a choice
When it’s all said and done, we choose how to respond to foolish talk. We can’t change what anybody says or does unless they want to change. But we choose if we’re going to be triggered by foolish talk. If we prepare our minds, put up our shields, keep anger at bay, and remember our own faults then we’re preventing those negative words from having power over us. We’re choosing to see those remarks for what they are: foolish talk spoken by broken people that has no space in our mental knapsack.
Final thoughts
We have to intentionally teach our minds to think differently. This is the hardest part. But the more we train our minds in this discipline, the more natural it becomes. Of course, this doesn’t mean we’re going to be completely impervious to foolish talk. It may still sting. But we’re not giving it control and walking through life weighed down with a mental knapsack of foolish talk.