At some point in our lives, we tend to just get used to explaining ourselves about things like why we made a certain choice, why we said no to something, why we changed our mind, and so on. It can become such a habit that you don’t even notice you’re doing it anymore, but the truth is you don’t actually owe anyone an explanation for how you live your life. With that in mind, keep reading to find out more.
The Habit Of Over-Explaining
A lot of people explain themselves because they don’t want to disappoint anyone or cause any problems, so you essentially soften the decisions you’ve made with long justifications, hoping that will make them easier for people to accept. But as time goes on, that can turn into a constant need for approval, even over little things that don’t actually affect anyone else.
Your Choices Don’t Need Public Approval
Not every decision needs to make sense to everyone, especially when you realise that what works for you might not work for someone else – and that’s fine. Different lives need different choices, after all. And what’s great is that when you try to stop everything from being understandable and acceptable, life becomes a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable for you.
Privacy Is A Form Of Self-Respect
You’re allowed to keep certain parts of your life private, and it’s really only with social media that we’ve started to feel like we need to share everything. So you don’t have to tell people how you wind down, what helps you relax, or what you choose to include in your life – or not. For some people, that could be a walk, a puzzle, or something like enjoying CBD sweets in the evening. Whatever it is, you don’t have to justify it to anyone.
Boundaries Don’t Need Long Explanations
When you set a boundary, you might be tempted to over-explain it so it sounds more reasonable, but the reality is that clear boundaries don’t need to have a story behind them, they just need to be what you want and need in your life, and that’s it. The reason behind it doesn’t matter to anyone except you. In other words, you’re allowed to protect your time, energy, happiness, and anything else without giving anyone an explanation.
Letting Go Of Guilt Takes Practice
Not explaining yourself can feel awkward if you’re not used to it, and you might worry that you’ll be misunderstood or even judged, but the good news is that feeling tends to fade away over time, and the more you trust your own decisions, the less you feel the need to justify them.
You Still Get To Be Kind
We’re not saying you need to be rude or dismissive of people if you’re not explaining yourself – you can still be kind, thoughtful, and respectful. It just means you don’t need to overextend yourself emotionally so you can make other people feel comfortable with your choices.
Final Thoughts
In the end, you don’t have to explain anything to anyone because your choices aren’t down to anyone else – they’re down to you.
