Passive aggression comes from a space of anger, and frustration. It can be triggered when we feel as though someone has taken advantage of us, or by sadness or hurt. It is wrapped up in a lot of emotions. Many of us behave in a passive-aggressive manner because we feel (real or imagined) that we can’t be honest and say what we feel.

The benefits of having hard conversations.

There are so many times when a relationship ends and one person will say, “I had no idea you felt this way,” because for years we have been holding on to what we’re thinking and feeling. We don’t share because we don’t want to hurt the person’s feelings, but then we end the relationship abruptly, which does just that.

It is possible to be grateful for what you have while also desiring more.

“Just be grateful” has been weaponized. The meaning behind that directive is essentially, “You have enough; how dare you want more?” Many of us grew up with the idea that gratitude is a stopping point, but gratitude is appreciation, not a destination. We can be grateful for our Nokia phone and still want an iPhone. We can be grateful for our jobs and still want a new position. We can still strive. We can still desire. We can still want more. We need to stop gratitude-shaming people.

Just because you don’t like what someone said, doesn’t mean they were being disrespectful.

We often hear words like bossy, rude, and mean tossed around when someone says something we don’t like. Many times these words are being used out of context, and what is actually happening is that someone is being assertive or honest and it makes us uncomfortable. When someone uses their voice to express something we don’t like we label it as a bad thing to mask our discomfort.