Maria Life Lessons: Releasing Anger, Standing Your Ground & More

Maria loves answering any of your self help questions and sharing any wisdom she can for her own life lessons she's gathered over the years.  If you have questions for her, be sure to send them to info@bettertogether.com and keep tuning in to Heal Squad X Maria Menounos! On a recent Better Together Episode, Maria shared her thoughts on releasing anger, standing your ground, and identifying the thief of joy. Here's what she had to say... 

People come into your life for different purposes 

There will always be people who come into your life for different purposes. Some may have qualities you don't and are there to help you grow. You have something to learn from them, and them from you. For example, Maria’s first assistant was a 20 year old unafraid to tell off her bosses when they were crossing the line. Meanwhile Maria was in the corner scared to say anything. She learned from her assistant to speak up for herself. This was one of the biggest life lessons that has stuck with Maria ever since. 

Use this technique for releasing anger

Maria’s somatic therapist Brian Mahan did this practice with her. In her mind, she lined up all of the people who have done her wrong and one-by-one, she punched them in the face. Maria was hesitant at first, but she did feel better afterward. We aren’t advocating for you to do this in real life, just in the imaginary realm! It is a good way to symbolically release the tension from those situations that upset you. 

“Comparison is the thief of joy” 

Maria recalls this quote from Theodore Roosevelt and it is more true today than ever. We all want what everyone else has. Instead of chasing after what’s out there, start owning what you have! We know this is much easier said than done, but it is always good to remind ourselves of this every so often.  

You will experience growing pains on the path to success

You can’t grow without pushing yourself, which isn’t always a pleasant thing to do. Elevating to the next level will be tough. When you want to quit or feel exhausted, ask yourself if this is still the path you want to take; If it is, make adjustments. Just like in a racing, cars will go around and around, then make a pitstop for minor improvements, and go back on the road. We all are going to need to make our pit stops on our journey to success. 

Allow yourself to mourn

For the days the grief hits extra hard, let it out. Don’t hold back. Do and feel whatever is right in the moment - laugh, cry, sob, anything. We try to avoid “negative” feelings like sadness but sometimes you just need to feel it. It is vital on the path to healing.  

Standing up for yourself is nothing to feel bad about

We are often taught to be “good girls” and not cause trouble. That mentality stays with us for life. When we, as women, are put in situations where people are inappropriate, we get too scared to say anything because of that engrained mentality. But why are we afraid to stand up for ourselves when they are doing something wrong? We shouldn’t! Maria suggests having a one-liner you can fall back on. Hers is “You are making me really uncomfortable right now, please stop” or something of the sort. This is one of the life lessons Maria wants every young girl and women to carry with them! Standing your ground is nothing to feel bad about.

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Listen to the full episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-together-with-maria-menounos/id1320060107?i=1000550293118

For more, check out Heal Squad X Maria Menounos, your Life Improvement series. Subscribe to Youtube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.