Rumor Mill Survival: Keep Your Head Up and Keep Going

You know that feeling. You’re walking through the parking lot at church or through the halls of your child’s school, and your senses start to prick. Your face starts to feel hot, you sweat a little, and you just know that some of these people are talking about you.

No one likes to be the subject of rumors and gossip. It makes you feel vulnerable, insecure, and judged. It feels like the big conflict in your life is following you everywhere. You can’t get away from that looming sense of stress, and you find yourself asking over and over again: “Does she know? How did he find out? I hope no one asks me about this.”

Stop. Take a deep breath. Take another one. Relax.

Newsflash: Not everything is about you.

You are not the first person to have a big embarrassing life problem. Chances are, these people around you have plenty of their own problems. You survived middle school. You will survive this too.

Four Tips to Surviving the Rumor Mill

1. Reach out to your friends. They are your friends for a reason. Tell them you need some support. You’ll be amazed how unburdened you will feel confessing this little truth, and your friends will support you.

2. Write it down. I know that journaling about your feelings sounds very dumb. Maybe you’re not the kind of person who does goofy things like that. Neither am I. But maybe try it. Give yourself 10 minutes with a pen and paper and write without stopping. If you can’t think of anything to write, just scribble curse words or make a list of the people you’d like to punch in the face.

Pro Tip: Throw this in the shredder when you’re done. You don’t want anyone to see your crazy

3. Enjoy a little exercise. I know. I know. That one is so obvious. Just try it.

4. And my personal favorite: Ignore it, and move on. Many, many small problems will go away all on their own if you ignore them long enough.

Bottom line. You will get through this. When you feel like you’re at the center of a swirl of rumors, remind yourself that even if it feels like it, most people are not thinking or talking about you.