When life hits you hard, try saying 'so what'. We overcomplicate things. We get uneasy with the difficult things. The pandemic ushered in waves of uncomfortable circumstances and feelings. If you feel overwhelmed, try the magical words, 'so what'. Say, 'so what' to uplift yourself emotionally.
To be a life warrior you need to be in control of the difficult things. It has the power to instantly make you feel better. It was Andy Warhol's life philosophy of saying 'so what', that made him resilient. The American artist and director once said:
'Sometimes people let the same problem make them miserable for years when they could just say, ‘So what’.
'My mother didn't love me.' So what.
'My husband won't ball me.' So what.
'I'm a success but I'm still alone.' So what.
I don't know how I made it through all the years before I learned how to do that trick. It took a long time for me to learn it, but once you do, you never forget.'
The Art Of Saying ‘So What’
We need to learn to say 'So What' for our mental peace and happiness. The art of saying 'so what' takes practice. Whether you’re stuck in a traffic jam for an hour, or your best friend stabbed you in the back, saying 'so what' is important because it stops energy leaks.
Psychologist Gitanjali Sharma says, 'The philosophy of saying 'so what' is unburdening your mind with multitude of worries. It's frees the mind, makes you more resilient. When we say ‘So what?’, we bring relief.' In her life-transforming book, So What: Learn the Transformative Power of Saying, So What, author Violet E. James talks about how you could learn how to transform your life just by saying, 'so what?' She writes, 'You could free yourself from days, weeks or months of painful thinking. This is just discovering the power of two words. Two words that can change your life.'
Normalising Feelings And Experiences
When we say, 'so what' we are also normalising the bad feelings and emotions we experience. Dr Avdesh Sharma, a psychiatrist, says that, 'By simply saying 'So what' you save yourself lot of heartbreak. Saying 'So what' brings instant acceptance, and you know the feeling will soon pass. Most people keep agonising over the past, guilt holds them from living a happy life in the present.'
Resilience coaches around the world have discovered the power of these two magical words, 'So what', as a coping mechanism to defy stresses of the pandemic. Martha Beck once posted a blog where she quoted Maya Angelou’s appearance on TV where Ms. Angelou was discussing ageing: 'Sure, the body is going,' she said. 'But so what?'
Exactly, so what!
Saying 'So what' takes practice. It isn't easy. But you can master it. In the end, it’s your perception that shapes your reality, not the other way around.
So, the next time you find yourself stressing out over that thing that that person said, ask yourself: So what?