Author: Chase Holik
Most of the time, depression comes from your own thoughts. If you are only happy when other people are happy with you, then you will likely be depressed at some point in your life. The reality is that not everyone will like you and you will not like everyone. It’s human nature.
Understanding other people’s thoughts and expectations of you will greatly reduce your frustrations, which could lead to feelings of depression.
Focus on things that truly matter in your life, and remember the following points…
1. Don’t expect people to be as excited as your life.
There’s sometimes no worse feeling that being excited about something, only to not feel the same amount of excitement from someone else. You could be excited about a promotion, a new business venture, or even going out on a date with the person you’ve been crushing on for a while. What you need to understand is that the none of those things really matter to the person you are talking to, so their level of excitement won’t be as much as yours. That doesn’t mean that they don’t care, so don’t take it personally.
2. Allow other people to be themselves.
You should always be yourself in any situation, so why should you try to change other people in certain situations? You will almost always feel some sort of tension when you try to change other people, so it’s best to just let them be themselves and understand that they don’t need to change for you. If you try to change other people and succeed, then you will probably be dealing with a fake person in the future, and who wants that?
3. Don’t expect others to change for your benefit.
Unless you are a talking about being a boss or a manager, you can’t expect people to change for your direct benefit. People act how they do because they’ve acted that way for a long time. Instead, try supporting them for who they are. When that happens, they will think more highly of you and notice the actions that you are taking. What you may experience is that they are changing for the better in a more pleasant way.
4. Stop thinking that other people know what you are thinking.
You can really wear yourself out if you try to take some sort of action with the expectation that another person knows your thoughts. It depends on the situation, but most of the time, people don’t know what you are thinking unless you tell them. Communication is an effective tool for any life situation, but you have to use it effectively. Be straight up with people, whether it’s at your job or in your personal life. Tell them what you’re thinking so they know how they can help you out.
5. Don’t worry if people don’t like you.
This is probably an obvious point to you, but you can’t dwell on the people that just don’t like you. It doesn’t mean that you are a bad person; it just means that something about your personality doesn’t click with them. That’s fine, just move on. The worst thing that you can do is try to make someone like you. It’s bad for your personal health and it will just continue to eat you up inside if you continue to think about it.
6. Don’t expect everyone to agree with you.
Everyone has their own opinions, and they are entitled to them. What you have to understand is that it does more harm than good to try to get people to agree with your opinions. Be strong-minded and know that your opinions are all that you need. If you are constantly seeking approval from others, then you will almost always be disappointed and begin questioning your own opinions. You will undoubtedly make mistakes, but you will also have more pride knowing that you made those mistakes using your own intuition rather than someone else’s.
Setting proper expectations for others is one of the best ways that you can stay happy.
People are going to disappoint you in life, whether you like it or not. But it’s how you deal with those disappointments that make you the person that you are. Be strong and prideful of yourself, and you will find that you will live a happier and more confident life.