Trivializing with Humor Feedback
When I use trivializing with humor, I use humor and jokes to make light of difficult situations, to reduce conflict, and to keep things comfortable.
Why do I do this?
By using humor, I avoid difficult feelings and get people to like me.
What can I do?
To reduce my defensiveness, I must become aware of the behaviors that I use when I am defensive enough for me to stop doing them. I can pay attention to my body. When my heart starts pounding, or my skin gets sweaty, or I notice tightness or a knot in my chest, stomach, shoulders or anywhere else, I ask myself if I am feeling threatened and getting defensive. My body tells me the truth, even when my mind does not. I can also get help from others.
I can ask people to tell me if they see me using these behavior patterns, especially people I know well or have worked with for a period of time.
We can even have an agreement that we tell each other.
When I am aware of my behavior, it is helpful for me to have some strategies to use to return to a non-defensive state.
I can slow down and focus on my breathing. I can also take a break from the situation and take time to think about what happened and what I would like to do differently.
By becoming more aware of what I do when I become defensive and what triggers my reactions, I can become more effective.
Through the experience of The Human Element, I can understand my own behavior, motivations, and defensiveness and learn about how other people operate as well.
Would you like to learn more about your defensive reactions? Contact us at 604 313 9955 or by email at info@hiqtraining.ca