I've moved my blog to WP: idefiningi.wordpress.com
March 21, 2015
Siri-ous (adj.)
Emotions, when left to simmer and cool off, often take on a lighter, less serious quality. Studies even show that writing down one's (traumatic) experiences can be therapeutic; and being able to accurately and more eloquently describe (read: recognize and articulate) nuanced emotions is a sign of higher EI and better coping ability. Because you get a chance to revisit the emotion from a more rational place - away from the heated moment - you get a chance to step back and be more objective about your situation.
It happened last Saturday - that night I spontaneously decided to lame out on my friends by making a 180-break from the bar just moments after arriving, to go home and spend a night in, indulging in a bit of alone-ness (this is quite "out of the ordinary" for me, as I'm generally a pretty extroverted, enthusiastic-about-stuff-and-people person). I was generally just having a bit of a day, feeling derailed and fatigued.
Anyway, I went about my day most regularly, apart from the odd command, enunciating basic necessary information so that Siri would hear me clearly -"voice texts" like:
"Text Jack-ee. By the way. Can not swipe to pick phone up. Can only text with voice command. Send."
"Text Alex. Text me the address. Will leave in five. Send."
"Text Breanne." .. "BREEEE-ANNE" (This never worked. Siri couldn't find Brianna in my phone and had she had her way, she'd be googling "Rhianna" had I not shut her up by turning off the screen.)
I even texted "Mom" in English, which was a first for me, because Siri doesn't speak Serbo-Croatian.
As I walked into the Toast Collective that night, I instantly wasn't feeling the vibe; the place was much more energetic than I was and it just kinda sapped me of what little energy I had left after my feeble attempt to get myself out of my apartment to "be social." I made my way to the back to find my friends and instantly decided I was coming over to just say goodbye. I was just feeling kind of down. I said my goodbyes and just as I stepped out the door, I got a text from my friend telling me to come back. In that moment I went into fight or flight mode and instinctively chose flight, feeling an incredible urge to just dismiss the text with a very honest response about how shitty I was feeling so I could move on and get home as fast as possible.
"Text Alex. I am feeling lame and depressed. And just want to go home. Good. Night."
The moment I said it out loud, enunciating each syllable for dear Siri, I felt lighter. In fact, I laughed at myself and at how melodramatic I sounded. Yep - sounded. Had I not been forced to utter it aloud at my phone, I would've continued to take myself waaaaay too seriously. I realized there's nothing wrong with being lame, and that I wasn't really all that depressed because I still had the capacity to laugh at myself. Hearing yourself speak really helps validate the truth of what you're saying.
So I went home, feeling better, because I realized the words I was thinking weren't actually the emotions I was feeling.
I think this is as good a time as any to bring your attention to one of my favourite maxims (it lives in the right rail of this blog as a constant reminder, FYI!). This often helps to ground me and flip situations around when I'm feeling a bit melodramatic:
Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think.
It reminds me to take life a little less seriously. (Kind of a more snooty version of #FirstWorldProblems, I guess.)
So next time you're feeling something intense, try to put it into words. It may require more thinking - but that's exactly the point. And if that's not enough to set you straighter, try reading those words out loud. You don't need Siri; you can be your own sounding board.
serious (adj.)I've found a way you can take an even bigger step back, which may be even more beneficial.from Late Latin seriosus, "weighty, important, grave," probably from a PIE root *swer- (4) "heavy". As opposite of jesting, from 1712; as opposite of light (of music, theater, etc.), from 1762.
It happened last Saturday - that night I spontaneously decided to lame out on my friends by making a 180-break from the bar just moments after arriving, to go home and spend a night in, indulging in a bit of alone-ness (this is quite "out of the ordinary" for me, as I'm generally a pretty extroverted, enthusiastic-about-stuff-and-people person). I was generally just having a bit of a day, feeling derailed and fatigued.
What I didn't mention in that blog post was that all day that day, my cell also had not been properly working. For some reason, my iPhone touch screen just didn't want to recognize that I was there and kept ignoring my taps and swipes. The most I could do all day with it was make (often-failed) attempts at commanding Siri to do simple tasks like "turn up the brightness," "turn on Bluetooth," and "play Music" in an effort to drain my battery as soon as possible to force the thing to restart (Disclaimer: I only realized today after telling my friends this story, that I could reset my phone without a swipe...boo-urns).
Anyway, I went about my day most regularly, apart from the odd command, enunciating basic necessary information so that Siri would hear me clearly -"voice texts" like:
"Text Jack-ee. By the way. Can not swipe to pick phone up. Can only text with voice command. Send."
"Text Alex. Text me the address. Will leave in five. Send."
"Text Breanne." .. "BREEEE-ANNE" (This never worked. Siri couldn't find Brianna in my phone and had she had her way, she'd be googling "Rhianna" had I not shut her up by turning off the screen.)
I even texted "Mom" in English, which was a first for me, because Siri doesn't speak Serbo-Croatian.
As I walked into the Toast Collective that night, I instantly wasn't feeling the vibe; the place was much more energetic than I was and it just kinda sapped me of what little energy I had left after my feeble attempt to get myself out of my apartment to "be social." I made my way to the back to find my friends and instantly decided I was coming over to just say goodbye. I was just feeling kind of down. I said my goodbyes and just as I stepped out the door, I got a text from my friend telling me to come back. In that moment I went into fight or flight mode and instinctively chose flight, feeling an incredible urge to just dismiss the text with a very honest response about how shitty I was feeling so I could move on and get home as fast as possible.
"Text Alex. I am feeling lame and depressed. And just want to go home. Good. Night."
The moment I said it out loud, enunciating each syllable for dear Siri, I felt lighter. In fact, I laughed at myself and at how melodramatic I sounded. Yep - sounded. Had I not been forced to utter it aloud at my phone, I would've continued to take myself waaaaay too seriously. I realized there's nothing wrong with being lame, and that I wasn't really all that depressed because I still had the capacity to laugh at myself. Hearing yourself speak really helps validate the truth of what you're saying.
So I went home, feeling better, because I realized the words I was thinking weren't actually the emotions I was feeling.
I think this is as good a time as any to bring your attention to one of my favourite maxims (it lives in the right rail of this blog as a constant reminder, FYI!). This often helps to ground me and flip situations around when I'm feeling a bit melodramatic:
Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think.
It reminds me to take life a little less seriously. (Kind of a more snooty version of #FirstWorldProblems, I guess.)
So next time you're feeling something intense, try to put it into words. It may require more thinking - but that's exactly the point. And if that's not enough to set you straighter, try reading those words out loud. You don't need Siri; you can be your own sounding board.
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