12 reasons why hating people can be good for the soul

IT SEEMS counter-cultural, but can hating people really improve your life? Apparently, the answer is yes...

Sue Sylvester (jane Lynch) Glee Picture: Supplied

IT SEEMS counter-cultural, but can hating people really improve your life? Apparently, the answer is yes...

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“I HATE everyone.” “I hate people.” “Everyone sucks.”

These three phrases, in addition to the millions of variations you’ve undoubtedly created, are things you think to yourself at least once a day. (Just me? I sincerely hope not.)

We can’t help but utter something along these lines because the frustration and impatience we struggle with are all too real. We don’t understand certain people’s behaviours because we would never act that way ourselves. We don’t mean we actually hate people (or do we?), rather, we can’t wrap our minds around the reason behind their actions or words. But here’s why it might be good for the soul ...

1. It makes you feel better

There’s a reason we yell these phrases out loud and think them to ourselves — and that’s because it feels good. It allows you to release all your built-up stress in one of the most harmless ways possible. Sure, you are saying something you probably don’t mean, it’s how you feel in that moment, and you don’t know how else to express it. Yelling out “I hate people” might be the definition of “cathartic.” There’s a chance no one will hear you, but isn’t that what makes it so great?

2. It makes you recognise and appreciate your own achievements

When people act stupid around you, you become frustrated. You can’t, for the life of you, understand why such menial tasks don’t come easily to others. It takes a high level of maturity to realise that not everyone is as smart as you are. So rather than getting annoyed at these people, you should just realise how accomplished you truly are.

3. It keeps you in check and makes you keep pushing yourself

Do you want to be one of the people you can’t seem to tolerate? No, of course you don’t. So you must actively challenge yourself. Complacency breeds mediocrity, and that is actually what infuriates you most. You want to be someone who brings something to the table, not someone whose absence is appreciated.

4. It raises the bar on your own personal standards

There are certain qualities you will settle for in your friendships as well as your personal relationships, and then there are some that are absolute deal breakers. Knowing your threshold for bullsh*t will help you determine which qualities fall into what category. And from that, your life will only get less stressful and more manageable.

5. It’s liberating to let go of people

Playing off the previous point, once you realise what your threshold is, you can start to make the necessary adjustments in your life. If you aren’t losing friends, then you aren’t really growing up because, as you age, your priorities shift and some people who once played major roles in your life might just not fit in so well anymore.

6. It’s natural to admit your true feelings

I mean, you can’t like everyone all of the time, can you? You can’t fight how you feel, so the frustration you feel in certain situations is only normal. People’s mindsets clash on the regular, so becoming annoyed with opposing viewpoints is just something that happens from time to time.

7. It’s being strong enough to let people hate you back

Too many people are people pleasers in this life, and that is absolutely nothing to be desired. Why should you waste your precious time and energy on pleasing people when the person you should be most concerned with is yourself? How does being a yes-man get you anywhere in life? It doesn’t, and everyone needs to stop doing it.

8. It’s a lesson in honesty with yourself

If you are in any situation that brings these thoughts into your head, your mind is actually trying to help you, you just have to listen. Clearly, these circumstances are only bringing you aggravation, and instead of ignoring them, you need to open yourself up to them.

9. It makes you independent

If you want something done, you must do it yourself. This is the motto you live your life by because you have witnessed some pretty awful decision-making. You can’t rely on others when you know you are better equipped at handling certain (actually, most) situations.

10. Hatred is a passion; it’s better than being apathetic

The ability to hate something means you have the capacity to love something with the same intensity and passion. Hating something means you actually care about it because the opposite would be apathy and that is just irrelevant.

11. It teaches you to become aware of and manage your feelings

How are you going to make peace with your emotions if you don’t embrace them as you feel them? Recognising the difference between what you love and what you hate will just teach you about the things you will and will not accept in your life.

12. It validates people you actually like

How else are you going to stay true to the people you really like if you aren’t aware of the people you don’t like? This will just make you appreciate the people in your life more and more.

Do you agree or disagree? Let us know in the comments below

This article was written by Ashley Fern from Elite Daily and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.