“I’ve had it…I’m going crazy…” - first words uttered when I picked up the phone 4 hours ago. It was a good friend and clearly he was in a jam.

Before I could ask “what happened,” he was already half way through the story. Here’s the basics…

1. He had lost his job a few months back.
2. He just screwed up big time at his new job.
3. He’s been very ill the the last 3 weeks…
4. The girl he was chasing cut the leash
5. His parents are sitting on his neck…
6. He got a really horrible score on his recent GMAT

All that and you know what finally made him snap?

“I think you should eat some rice…”

Yes, his mother told him to eat rice and the dude snapped. He went bazerk. Obviously, the question: Why?

It’s like the old saying: “The straw that broke the camel’s back…”

His mom telling him to eat rice was the straw. If you look at it from the 40,000 foot overview, it’s pretty damn funny.

But, I can see his perspective.

Basically his mom insists on giving him unsolicited and unwanted advice. He’s mentioned it almost every day for the last 10 years. He’s tried every trick in the book to get her to stop…

No go…

She insists on treating him like a stupid child and give him senseless advice (…that does nothing but make his blood boil).

He hates rice. He didn’t want rice. He was stressed and just wanted to be tired. But she kept persisting.

Bottom line - the dude snapped. He lost it because it was the last draw.

I also feel equally bad for his mom, the poor lady got the full wrath of his failed job, illness and crappy girl crush.

So, what did he want from me?

Advice. He wanted to know what to do.

My advice? Get away from EVERYONE - take some time to yourself. Get inside your head and work through all the problems.

This is a model example of when someone needs “alone time.” There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be alone for a few days. It’s healthy - I personally do it all the time.

Going the other way, here’s some advice. If someone around you is feeling overwhelmed - ask to help them ONCE. If they say no or more importantly “I want to be left alone,” LEAVE THEM ALONE.

That’s not there way of saying “I’ll only tell me if you ask 63 more times.” Unless you want to become the target of all their frustrations - slowly step away and make no sudden movements on your way out!

Popularity: 32% [?]