Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Small stuff can be particularly annoying.

It pops up on a regular basis. Small stuff gets under your skin and becomes irritating. Small stuff seems like big stuff when you are already stressed. Then it gets blown out of proportion. Small stuff has the potential to create big problems when you overreact.

Small stuff is any issue that is basically insignificant in the scheme of things. Something is small stuff when it’s easily resolved or the specific outcome is irrelevant. Small stuff is a normal part of life.

Some examples of small stuff: You lost something that’s not that important. An inexpensive appliance breaks. You are not as organized as you would like. You didn’t sleep well. You have a cold. A stranger says something insulting. An item you wanted to buy is out of stock. You were not invited to a party. You get a flat tire. It rains on your first day of vacation.

If you get distracted by small stuff it will take your attention away from the big stuff. When you become fixated on small stuff, it can transform into big stuff.

Mary was getting ready for work one morning. She couldn’t find her favorite shoes so she had to change her outfit to match another pair. Mary was agitated. She snapped at her husband and kids who then also became upset. Mary was all stressed out when she got to work. Being preoccupied with her shoes, Mary made mistakes all day which caused her to feel worse.

Dave was ready to run some errands on a Saturday. When he got out to the car he found it had a flat tire. Dave had lots of things he wanted to get done and wasn’t in the mood to deal with a flat. Although he changed the tire, he was agitated. Dave wasn’t much fun to be around that day and so his wife and children kept their distance.

It’s obvious that Mary and Dave overreacted to insignificant events. Their response blew things out of proportion, causing additional grief for them and those they came into contact with. What could they have done differently?

Mary could have realized it was no big deal to wear different shoes. She could look for the missing shoes later when there was more time. Missing items are a commonplace occurrence. They are either found or replaced. Getting upset won’t cause an item to materialize.

Dave’s reaction was no better than Mary’s. Tires go flat, cars break down. These events are inconvenient, usually happening at inopportune times. Letting them ruin your day won’t make them go away.

Small stuff happens. You can’t control it but you can control how you react. Address issues as they arise and then let it go. If Mary had just said to herself, “No big deal, I’ll just wear another pair of shoes,” her day would have been much better and she would have spared herself much agony.

Dave could have simply changed his tire and then continued with his errands. He would have lost some time, but the problem had to be fixed. Dave’s getting upset was unproductive. His attitude prevented him from having a great day.

Be flexible. Adjust to whatever unexpected events appear. Stay relaxed. Address the problem. Remind yourself that it is no big deal. The small stuff is nothing more than minor nuisances. Don’t turn them into major traumas.