114: Get Consent Before You Vent

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today, I want to dive into a topic that has come up quite a bit not only in my coaching conversations, but in my own personal life, and definitely in a lot of social media posts – emotional consent. Many of us are guilty of picking up the phone and venting to a friend, family member, or colleague. We've all done it, and with the pandemic, people are doing this even more, to the point where we are all just so emotionally drained. It's time we take a closer look at this increasing tendency to burden others with our troubles (and vice versa), so, in this week's episode, I'm going to discuss precisely why you need to ask permission before venting.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After providing a brief update regarding She Doesn't Settle social media, I kick off today's discussion by describing emotional consent and why it's important to seek permission before unloading your troubles on another person. Expressing ourselves is vital to our well-being, but making sure things aren't lopsided with our relationships is also essential. And so, if we don't seek permission before sharing, there's a risk that you're adding to another person's difficulties and troubles. So, together, we'll look at how to ask for emotional consent and also how to be understanding when people say 'no' or schedule another time to talk. I then transition to the people who receive the venting to talk about setting boundaries and why you need to let people know if you don't have the space or the capacity to take on their venting and dumping. I elaborate on how to do this politely and schedule a better time to listen to the unloading or give advice. Venting is a natural and necessary process for us all, especially after everything that the past two years have dumped on us, but it's so important to make sure we do it in a way that remains healthy for all involved. Listen in today to learn how to make this a reality in your life and the lives of those you care about.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weigh