How to End a Pity Party

Pity parties are different from parties planned for birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, or just for fun. At most parties, guests are present. But at a pity party, there’s only one guest; the person throwing the party.

The following are consequences to having a pity party:

1.Having a pity party can add up to a huge amount of wasted time.
You replay over and over in your mind what happened, who did it, why it happened and how it happened. You lose sleep over it. You lose energy over it. You lose weight over it. You even lose work over it.

2.Having a pity party can cause you to lose friends.
Others can start to isolate themselves from you for fear that your negative attitude could be contagious. It’s not uncommon to speak words that hurt while you’re at your pity party, even to persons close to you.

3.Having a pity party can indicate you’re self-centered.
If you’re not careful, you can become so involved in your pity party until you can seemingly forget about the people around you, even those who need you. You can begin to think you’re the only one with problems and challenges.

The most important thing to remember about a pity party is you can't stay too long.

HOW TO END A PITY PARTY

1.Focus on others instead of yourself.
One of the best ways to bring joy back into your life is to do something nice for someone. When you’re feeling down, send someone a friendly card, or pick up the phone and call someone and encourage them. This can be the very thing that keeps you from going to that pity party!

2.Learn the lesson.
In any situation always ask, “Lord, what do you want me to learn from this experience?” Even though it’s a pity party, take something away from the party. Take away the lesson, the learning. You may learn, it’s not all about you. Life is much better lived in service to others. You may learn that pity parties are not worth the time and energy. You may learn that life isn’t always fair. You may learn that you can’t control people and what they do; you can only control yourself. You may learn that life is too short to spend it having a pity party! Whatever you do, don’t leave the pity party without grabbing the lesson.

3.Don’t worry. Pray.
Worrying never solved anything. Instead of worrying, spend time in prayer!
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Tune in Sunday at 4:00 p.m. to Houston's 100.7 FM or kkht.com and get the full session on "Ending the Pity Party."