The Simple But Effective Power of Walking Away

Here are some liberating thoughts that will transform your life: You don’t have to argue.  Or yell.  Or pitch a fit.  Ever.  It’s true! You can just walk away from any difficult person or problematic situation.  In fact, there’s significant wisdom in simply walking away.

Now I’ll concede that walking away from a conflict or bad situation isn’t always easy.  For instance, sometimes when we’re in a conflict, our emotions take over.  We’re then in a heightened state of frustration or anger, and we just want to let all those feelings out. 

But realize that is precisely the time when we should be walking away from the situation.  No good ever comes from dramatic or aggressive behavior.  We simply embarrass ourselves.  And we certainly don’t make the world a better place.

Sometimes we don’t walk away from difficult situations because we think that we can fix them.  But what we really want to do is fix other people.  The problem is that it isn’t possible to fix other people. 

I’ll concede that some people do evolve and become more mature, kind and gentle as the years pass.  But that evolution happens because they want to change and become better human beings.  You can’t argue with someone to get them to become kinder or more emotionally mature.  That simply doesn’t work. 

So, given that arguing and pulling out your hair in frustration is ineffective when dealing with difficult people and situations, then what is effective?  Walking away.  When you walk away, not only do you stop wasting your time trying to fix difficult people and situations, but you also protect your peace.

Read about the benefits of walking away below. Make your mental health and peace of mind your top priority, and see how much better your life can be.

Self-Preservation

Often, the reason that we don’t walk away from difficult situations is that we are concerned about being uncomfortable.  After all, it’s uncomfortable to walk away from a difficult situation.  But sometimes, we need to walk away simply as a matter of self-preservation.  Even if it’s uncomfortable to do so.

Realize that there is nothing more important in this world than your peace of mind.  Winning arguments or getting others to agree with your point of view is just not important.  So, if a situation becomes too heated, consider whether your peace of mind is being threatened.  If it is, then you need to walk away.

I’ve learned over the years that conflict is not good for the soul. The reality is that arguments and difficult situations are depressing. So, why stick around for them!

So, it’s important to learn how to walk away from difficult people and situations for your own self-preservation.  Even when it’s uncomfortable. Because often walking away is the only way that you truly can preserve your peace of mind.

Setting Boundaries

Oftentimes, we fail to walk away from people who violate our boundaries because we think that we can fix them. But people who violate your boundaries aren’t fixable. Realize that when people violate your boundaries, that means that they don’t respect other human beings.  You can’t fix people like that.  All you can do is to walk away from them.  That’s because they have a character flaw that only they can work on.

Walking away from people who don’t respect your boundaries is important because it’s your way to affirm your self-respect.   Walking away from someone who disrespects you is your way of saying to yourself, “That person’s disrespectful behavior is their problem.  I respect myself.”

The good news is that you don’t have to yell or argue to respect yourself.  You simply have to walk away from anyone who treats you with disrespect. 

For example, I had a friend who was in a very bad marriage.  Her husband at times was highly disrespectful and cruel.  So, at a certain point, she just walked away from the marriage.  She didn’t create a big drama.  One day, she simply decided that her self-respect was more important to her than her marriage.  And she quietly walked away.

The reality is that there is no relationship in which people have the right to violate your boundaries or treat you with disrespect.  That holds true for your spouse, parent, sibling or adult child (or anyone for that matter).  So, it’s critical in life to set your boundaries.  And if others can’t respect your boundaries, then quietly and calmly walk away.

Positive Conflict Resolution

No good comes from arguing.  I’ve been involved in a lot of arguments over the years, and I can assure you that every single one of them was a complete waste of time.  On each occasion, I would have been much better off simply walking away from the argument.

Realize that as human beings, whenever we argue, our goal isn’t to reach an agreement.  Our goal is to do one of two things: (1) Explain to someone else why they’re absolutely wrong in their point of view.  And (2) if we can’t get them to see why they’re wrong, then our goal is to either get our way or make the other person feel stupid. 

All of that sounds terrible, doesn’t it?  But that’s the reality of any argument.  Arguing always is pointless and destructive.

Once we recognize that no good can come from arguing, then we are left with only one reasonable course of action: Walk away from any argument.  And choose to protect your peace of mind.  Because your peace of mind is more important than winning any argument.

An Opportunity for Something Better

Sometimes we don’t walk away from bad situations because we fear the unknown.  “If I walk away from this bad job, the next one might be worse.”  “If I walk away from this bad relationship, I might be alone forever.” 

So, we remain in bad situations because of the potential that the alternative could be worse.  I can assure you that is not a good reason to not walk away from a bad situation. 

Bad situations are just that.  Bad.  In my own life, I’ve never regretted walking away from a bad situation.  In fact, I’ve only regretted waiting too long to walk away! 

Realize that when you are in a difficult situation or relationship, you often have no idea how bad your life really is. Then you take that first liberating step to walk away.  And it’s only then, when you’ve walked away that you can breathe. And at that moment, you realize how much better your life is because you made that simple choice to walk away. 

Empowerment

Often, we mistakenly think that walking away from a situation is a sign of weakness.  After all, if you’re tough, you’ll stand your ground and fight to get your way!  Right?  Not really.

Realize that there are few things in life more empowering than walking away from a negative situation.  It’s empowering to know that you can choose to leave any situation that simply doesn’t serve you.  

Realize that you have the power to walk away from pointless arguments.  And you have the power to walk away from destructive relationships.  All those actions are within your power.

Choose to use that power!  Learn to walk away. Because the stress that comes from dealing with difficult people and situations is terrible for you.  Stress causes insomnia, heart disease, obesity, depression, upset stomach, high blood pressure, headaches… I could go on, but you get my point. 

So, if someone is creating stress in your life, use your power and walk away.  If you are in a situation that is stressful, use your power and walk away.  Your top priority is to eliminate stress from your life and to protect your peace of mind.

If you are seeking to protect your peace, learn how to walk away.  Become highly skilled at walking away from difficult people and problematic situations.  If you develop that skill, you will create a life that is peaceful and truly enjoyable. (To learn about the importance of setting boundaries, click here.)