Speak up, here’s how

Continued from our Retreat & Renew Daily Tip.

Your emotions, pride or integrity have been trampled. You’ve been betrayed or taken advantage of. In short, you’re angry, but perhaps you have trouble giving voice to this anger. When you feel a strong emotion welling up inside you, and your instinct is to shrink back, walk away, or channel it into an email instead of a conversation try these tips to find your voice...

• Take a deep breath, collect your thoughts, and feel your feet on the floor. Get grounded so that you can speak from a stable foundation.

• Ask yourself what you are afraid of, what’s the worst that can happen? The world isn’t going to end. You’re going to move on from this moment one way or another, so it may as well be standing tall.

• Be direct, honest and respectful when you speak your truth. Stick to the facts, avoid insult and nuance.

• Be confident. You have a right to stand up for yourself. You owe it to your sense of self-respect, to your relationship to the other person, and to the other person him/herself to communicate.

Each and every time you speak up instead of suffer in silence, you are building resiliency, and bolstering your own confidence to do it again next time. This takes courage, no doubt, but you’ll be surprised how much better you’ll feel once the weight of what needs to be said is lifted.