Learn How To Stop Being Mean Unintentionally
Getting along with other people isn't always easy. Each of us grows up in different types of families and environments, and because of that, we learn different communication strategies. That means sometimes we might not even realize when we're saying something that someone else might take as rude or mean or even wicked. You can learn to pay more attention to the reactions others have to your words, and from those reactions, learn how to stop being mean unintentionally and saying things to make someone feel bad.
Why Do I Keep Saying Mean Things?
Consider the situations in which you tend to say things that upset other people. Do you see any common themes or dynamics? Is something triggering you to make unfriendly statements without thinking them through beforehand? Are the unkind words primarily used around specific people? Do insensitive, aggressive, and cynical words come out around particular topics? Do people in your life consider you to be callous, cruel, or thoughtless toward them? If you can find your trigger and understand the causes, then you can work on yourself to figure out how to speak words with a more positive feel, even in the hardest of times. Sometimes alcohol can play into aggression, as the substance can impair your cognition.
Anxiety
For some people, is a cause of unfiltered speech. Symptoms like anxiety disorders may cause you to feel so nervous that you say things you would never mention if you were in a more relaxed state. Your mind and body may be more focused on the signs of fear and stress than they are on the words coming from your mouth. You may want to look for a way to reduce stress by taking stress relief medications so that your fears won't feed on them. Think about checking out medically reviewed articles for more advice about social anxiety as well.
Difficult Emotions
Another reason you may unintentionally hurt someone's feelings is if you are struggling with difficult emotions in your day-to-day world. If you are angry or sad, you may be more likely to say things you don't mean. This is because your mind is focused on healing itself, and you may not have the capacity to uplift another person at the same time. These times are hard for you, but the unkind words only cause additional problems. You may benefit from seeking therapy to help you control your anger and assist you in processing these difficult emotions if you are concerned about them.
Social Skills
Sometimes, being mean has nothing to do with the internal struggles of anxiety or difficult emotions. You may simply need to spend some amount of time working on strengthening your communication skills or learning to read tones, facial expressions, and gestures. Doing so can help you get a deeper sense of human nature. If this is the case, you may feel perfectly at ease and happy, but often get unexpected negative reactions from people around you. Again, medically reviewed articles may help you learn more on this topic, including those on a mental health foundation site.
You may be having a hard time with your communication as well. You might be misinterpreted due to your body language or facial expressions. You might have little awareness of these issues because the expressions are unlikely to be reflected when you're looking in a mirror. They typically only show when you are speaking to others, so they can be hard to recognize at times.
You may even notice your social skills tend to veer toward the less positive end around those you love most. Ironically, you might be the most unfiltered around the people with whom you feel the safest and most comfortable. When you feel safe, accepted, and loved, you can be less guarded about what you say and how you say it. Because of this, you may find yourself hurting those you love more often than others with your anger.
Awareness And Effects Of Unkind Words
Can your anger or unkind words affect the people we love? Some people may be genuinely unaware that they make comments which can hurt those around them. They likely may not want to hurt their friends and family, but the words they use might do so anyway.
One way to prevent this discrepancy is by having open communication with your loved ones. If you say something and the person you're talking to looks upset or suddenly becomes quiet, ask them what's wrong. Ask, "Did I say something to hurt your feelings?" Ensure them you did not mean to offend or cause anger. If you take this approach every time you accidentally say something mean, you will learn which words are hurtful and which are uplifting. From there, you can choose to stop using hurtful vicious words to those you love. This practice may also help you take better control of these situations, where you can take the time to think about your words and how they might affect your loved ones.
Using hurtful language can be a problem with all age groups. Thirty percent of children admit to being unkind at one point or another, and thirty percent say they've been bullied. No matter how old you are, your words can make a difference, and if you pay close attention to the reaction of the people with whom you are speaking, you can use the power of your words for good. Try your best to express your feelings and intentions without hurting others.
Childhood bullying can cause lifelong psychological damage, and using unkind words in adulthood may have similar effects. Accidentally being mean can lead to people you love to experience depression, social anxiety, or an anxiety disorder. They can also lead to sad feelings or even relationships coming to an end if unkind words are used often enough. If you are only using mean or hateful words towards someone, this could indicate that the relationship is not healthy.
When you understand the effect of your words, you can see why it is important to learn the ins and outs of using them kindly and healthily. Even though you may not intentionally try to be mean or express anger to your friends and family, learning how to be compassionate and putting in the effort and energy to do so can make a huge difference in both your life and the lives of those you speak to.
Addressing Underlying Issues
To improve your relationships with friends and family, as well as have more enjoyable encounters with new people, you more than likely want to fix these challenges once you find them. Below, we will investigate how to solve the struggles you may face in each of these areas of communication and how you might prevent anger from occurring.
Addressing Anxiety
When you feel anxious, you might speak harshly, express anger, or use unkind words. You can help reduce accidental communication problems by visualizing yourself in the situation ahead of time. Imagine yourself smiling and feeling relaxed. Give yourself several conversation ideas ahead of time. The more you practice possible scenarios, the more comfortable you can become during the actual interaction.
Addressing Difficult Emotions
If you have experienced a recent disappointing or frustrating event, you may need to take some time to yourself before you try talking to others. Negative emotions can make you more likely to be unkind to people unintentionally and cause you to feel angry. Try doing things that help boost your mood. When you're feeling calm, try confiding in a close friend to help you manage the challenge you are experiencing or to lessen your anger.
Addressing Poor Communication Skills
Effective communication is a skill that takes time and practice to master. You can begin by paying attention to other people's facial expressions, tones, and gestures. If you're uncertain of their reaction, ask them how they felt about what you just said. You can gain the best information by asking open questions and seeking honest answers. This can help you gauge when you have caused others to feel angry and could help you understand what you can do to change how you speak with them, as well as the things you say.
Remember that listening carefully is equally as important as speaking carefully. Before responding, try your best to have a complete and accurate understanding of what the other person is attempting to convey. It's okay to take a second to be critical of how you might respond. Many conflicts in relationships are a result of a misunderstanding, which can often be avoided by healthier and mutually respectful communication. Focus intently on what the other person is saying. It will help your responses to be kinder overall, instead of talking in anger.
Seeking Help
Talking to a professional counselor can also help you develop strategies to stop being unkind unintentionally. If you are still struggling with being unintentionally mean and navigating anger issues after implementing the above strategies, working with a therapist may be the next step. They can help you move forward from mean-spirited and spiteful behavior and help you with tips to improve. They can also assist you in unpacking previous life events where you might have been uptight, jealous, or mean.
Finding time to speak with a therapist to plan out treatments can be hard. If you have a busy schedule or want to avoid the worst of rush-hour traffic en route to therapy sessions, consider speaking with a therapist from BetterHelp. BetterHelp is an online platform that offers professional help from anywhere, at a time that works with your schedule. It's easy to do additional research on online therapy and its benefits. One example is affordability, as online sessions are almost always less expensive than traditional in-person therapy.
Research studies have investigated the efficacy of online therapy as a means for helping people to become more compassionate. If it is the case that a person is being unkind as a result of trying to manage symptoms of anxiety, chronic pain, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), then online therapy can help. Studies have shown that internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) – a form of talk therapy conducted by a licensed therapist online – is just as effective as in-person therapy when it comes to improving symptoms. There are even therapist-guided games that can make the process of behavioral change more accessible for adolescents. While BetterHelp is dedicated to providing mental healthcare services to adults, its sister site TeenCounseling is an excellent resource for teenagers.
If you’re curious to hear about others’ experiences with online therapy, you can read below for some reviews of BetterHelp counselors from people experiencing similar issues.
Counselor Reviews
"Krysten offers me support so I can reflect on interactions I didn't even know affected me the way they did. She is helping me learn about myself and implement changes in my life while being kind and realizing this is a journey."
"I cannot say enough how much I appreciate Barbara's help and guidance. She has helped me through some difficult situations, providing just what I needed to stop negative cycles and self-doubt to take over. I highly recommend Barbara!"
Takeaway
Whether you know you’re being mean to others as a result of experiencing pain or life challenges, or you’re unsure of why your communication is being interpreted as unkind, there is help available. Once you complete the initial questionnaire on BetterHelp, you’ll be matched with an online therapist within 48 hours. You can feel reassured that your therapist will not judge you for being mean – they will be more concerned with helping you learn more about yourself and modeling strategies for improving your communication or resolving inner turmoil. Take the first step today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Am I So Mean For No Reason?
You may feel like you are mean for no reason because you have feelings of anger that you aren’t addressing. At times, when you feel angry, this could indicate that you have an issue with anger management, or you might have intense feelings, beyond anger, that you need to express. If you feel angry and you aren’t sure why, try to think about why you may be angry. If possible, talk to a trusted friend about what you are experiencing, and they may be able to provide perspective or help you feel better. Keep in mind that everyone experiences anger from time to time, but it isn’t acceptable to act on this anger.
How Do I Stop Being Mean?
If you feel like you are being mean, this may let you know that you must work harder to control your anger. There are a few ways to go about this, such as writing down your thoughts or working with a therapist. Decide what you feel will work best for you and try it. You may start to notice you feel calmer after a while, and you don’t consider yourself to be mean anymore. There may be an answer to your anger and the way you feel, even if you are unsure if this is the case.
How Do I Stop Myself From Saying Hurtful Things?
When you wish to stop yourself from saying hurtful things, you may need to control angry outbursts and your anger in general. In other words, you can take the time to calm down a bit, even if you are angry before you speak. You might also consider finding a healthy way to channel your feelings, such as taking up a sport, working out, or putting your energy into an activity you enjoy. Even when you are angry, you should do your best to make it a point to think before you say something hurtful or mean.
Why Am I Always So Angry And Irritated?
Feeling like you are always angry may indicate you have a mental health concern that could be causing you to express anger frequently. If you have trouble when it comes to controlling your anger, you may want to meet with a therapist to discuss the best ways to do so. You may have feelings that need to be worked through, or you might be experiencing anxiety or stress.
Of course, there are other reasons you may be angry as well. You could be stressed or be experiencing hunger. Take note of how often you are feeling anger, to determine if there is a pattern.
What Mental Illness Causes Anger?
Numerous mental health conditions can cause anger, including bipolar depression, borderline personality disorder, and intermittent explosive disorder. When you are grappling with anger problems, you may want to read more about it through articles from the Mental Health Foundation or talk to a psychiatrist about a treatment plan to reduce your feelings of anger.
Why Am I So Short-Tempered?
You may feel short-tempered at times because of the way people act towards you. For instance, if you find that you are angry when you are stressed out or others upset you, this is something that you can work on, but may not be a cause for concern. It is okay for you to feel angry sometimes.
As long as you can control your anger and not lash out at others around you, you might be able to get through each moment you are angry without hurting anyone’s feelings. Try to take deep breaths and calm down once you are feeling angry, to determine if these things help. If they do not, you may want to speak with your doctor about possible anger problems.
Why Am I So Mean And Rude?
Most people say mean or rude things at times, but this doesn’t mean that you are a mean and rude person. However, if you find that you are acting mean and saying rude things to people that you care about regularly, there may be a reason. You might have angry feelings that are occurring often, and you are unable to control them. You could also be experiencing mental health conditions that should be addressed. Check out medically reviewed articles for more information on working through anger and mean thoughts and talk to your doctor if you are concerned about your behavior.
Why Do I Say Hurtful Things?
Many of us say hurtful things from time to time, and this is understandable. However, if you are having negative thoughts and feel like you have little control over your anger and the things that you say to loved ones, this may be a cause for concern. You may benefit from anger management treatment. Be sure to reach out for support whenever you want to help treat your anger.
How Do I Stop Being A Bitter Person?
Anytime you are feeling like a bitter person, this may be a result of something deeper than an anger issue. You may have felt from your past that you need to express, which you haven’t been able to do. Perhaps you haven’t grieved a breakup or have ill feelings towards a situation that wasn’t resolved satisfactorily. It may be helpful to read medically reviewed articles on letting go of bitterness or talk to your doctor about your anger.
Can Anxiety Make You Say Nasty Things?
Have you noticed that the last time you felt angry, you said nasty things? This could be due to your anxiety. One symptom of anxiety is irritability, which can cause you to say nasty things. When you notice that you are feeling irritable and it is making you say things that you don’t want to, or causing anger, it may be time to consider working with a therapist. If you already work with a therapist for your anxiety, be sure to let them know that you are experiencing irritability and anger, so different treatment strategies can be discussed.
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