Why Don’t They Listen to Me

There are different stages in life. No one likes to go through what I call, “Nobody Listens to Me.”

When I call someone on the phone, they don’t call me back.

Or I tell someone close to me, “Isn’t that a cute stuffed animal? I had one like it when I was a child.”

The other person says, “That’s a cute stuffed animal. Isn’t it like the one you had when you were a child?”

Or

I’m driving down the road. I say to the person in the car with me. “Look there’s a new Wendy’s restaurant on the right.”

A minute elapses.

The other person says, “Look there’s a new Wendy’s Restaurant on the right.”

You can see the steam coming out of my ears, can’t you?

How do you resolve this problem?

Chances are the other person may not change. They may not have the gift of listening that you are trying to unwrap.

Pray for patience.
Tell God the things no one else hears. He hears and understands every emotion you are feeling.

Figure out a way to laugh.

Be a good listener. Oops. Did you catch yourself not being a good listener…uh oh. Whaat! You are not perfect either. Well. It happens to the best of us, expecially me.

Here are hints:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Be a good listener.
Choose when to share important things with others.
If they seem to be worried about something else. Wait until later to  share your story.

Do major listening.

Honor the silence.

Don’t tell things with a high priority  while the TV is going full blast. When you call someone on the phone, make sure it’s a good time to talk. If not, perhaps they will call you back at a mutually good time..

Don’t tell things with a high priority when the listener is upset about something in his/her life.

Take time to do something fun for you to relax. Chances are you’re too stressed out about other things and this listening thing is just the tip of the iceberg, the frosting on the cake, the skis on the slope. 

Pray for patience.
Tell God the things no one else hears. He hears and understands every emotion you are feeling.

Figure out a way to laugh.

Ask the listener to tell you what they heard. Many times the information you share may not be understood in the way you meant. It may have been clear to you, but not so clear to them.

Have a special place to talk. Make sure your needs and the listern’s needs are met. Bathroom, water to drink. Have a special time to talk. Ask them if they will listen. 

Try not to complain about someone not listening. It only makes it worse.  I know from personal experience. I’ve done this and it doesn’t work. 

Thank people when they are good listeners. 

I hope that you have someone to listen when you need a listening ear. 

There are people willing to listen to you. Look for them. You will find them. If there are no people around to listen, pets and stuffed  animals do nicely!

Thank you for reading my blog.  You are a great listener. I found a few resources with ideas to help in the listening arena.  Please leave a comment about times that trouble you about listening.

 

Resources

Never Give Up
Joan Y. Edwards, Author
Copyright © 2020 Joan Y. Edwards

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