UNITED STATES—Do you ever get tired of hearing someone talk about the same thing over and over and over again? Trust me I know the feeling because I know some people who get stuck in their own psyche where they are unable to move away from the negative and focus on the positive. While having a conversation with them, they tend to start the dialogue focused on the negative and I have to repeatedly stop them to make them realize, “Hey, you’re doing the same thing again.”

They don’t realize it, so it feels like a chore trying to get someone to realize that I don’t want to hear the same old thing over and over again. Look, I studied psychology heavily as an undergraduate. I have a BA in Psychology and when you take a slew of psych courses you learn things that you never expected. There are other ways to deal with stress and air out your grievances. Look, I’ll be the first to say it: I’m not a fan of the talking cure.

Yes, I know people who go to the therapist each week and pour out that story of all the issues they have without ever coming to a conclusion. So tell me precisely how that benefits the individual. If constantly talking about an issue that is delivering grief gets their boil and blood boiling is that a good thing? Hmm, I actually think not America, and I see it more often than I care to. I mean the mere notion of mentioning a person’s name or a situation just causes a person to go into a tizzy.

That should be a clear sign that constantly talking about the issue is doing more harm than actual help people. We need to stop that. Let’s find another alternative to deal with negative stimuli and issues in our personal life. How about exercising? How about watching a movie? Playing a video game? Writing in a journal? Hitting a punching bag? Unleashing a scream? Cooking? Cleaning the house? Organizing clutter? Do you see where I am heading America? There are options available at your fingertips, you have to consider them.

So Americans do not see that? They think if I constantly drudge up the same thing over and over again, that I might come to some resolution at some point, but in all honestly that is not always the case, and that is the problem people. Don’t think of it; try to alter the trajectory so that it benefits you in the best possible way. Also just a reminder the person who you think is ok with hearing the same thing over and over again, might not want to hear it. They tolerate it because they don’t want to hurt your feelings and tell you how they truly feel. It might be taking more a toil on that person who is that listening ear for you than you actually think.

Written By Zoe Mitchell