Sometimes I need to remember the "Backwards Golden Rule"

I have to watch out for how I interpret things.

Today I was cleaning in the kitchen, got distracted, left the water running, then there was a huge mess to clean up.  I got quite upset with myself.  I said to myself "How could I do something sooooo stupid?!"  I said to myself, "I must be mentally retarded!"  Scariest of all, I said to myself, "How could i go on if I keep doing things like this?!"  Don't get me wrong here, I'm not suicidal.  But if I keep talking to myself like this, I could end up suicidal.

Feeling like that is totally unnecessary. I'm disappoint in how I let my emotions run rampant and spiral me down into a depressive state like that.  I had a drink, took a nap and wasted the day.  There was no need to waste the day.  There was no need to beat myself up like that.  There was no need to interpret what happened as anything more than an absent minded accident that could have happened to anybody given the right conditions.  It was an anthill and I turned it into Everest.

I chose in that moment to abuse myself instead of simply cleaning up the mess.  I punished myself instead of showing myself a little understanding then telling myself to pay more attention to the details.

There was a movie I saw once where a Native American character was asked how he was so chill all the time even in the face of all sorts of adversity.  He said, "I don't sweat the small stuff... and it's all small stuff."  Another saying or in this case "prayer" I've heard over the years really can help keep things in perspective; "...accept the things I cannot change;: (have)Courage to change the things I can;: And wisdom to know the difference."

My point to writing all this is to help me remember to consciencly interpret stuff.  I need to be more in charge of my "self talk" and treat myself with a lot more respect.  The truth is, I would never talk to another person like that.  Why shouldn't I give myself the same respect.  I guess it's a sort of backwards "Golden Rule.":  Do onto myself as I would do onto others.  (Disclaimer:  Backwards Golden Rule only works if you are naturally nice to other people. ;-)