Believe it or not telling someone to “Relax” has the exact opposite effect on most people. You might have good intentions but in order to avoid the bride’s blood pressure from raising, we suggest that you don’t tell her to relax.
Even if you were a bride, you can never truly understand what someone else is going through as they plan their wedding. Telling a bride to relax may come off as condisending and she might feel that you are dismissing her feelings. Stress is not something that you can turn around in 5 seconds. Did you know that it takes the human body 20 to 6o minutes to obtain a relaxed state after reacting to stress? Forcing a bride to suppress her emotions can completely backfire and cause a rift between the two of you and we don’t want that. #teamhappybridesmaids
As a Coordinated Bride – how should you react if someone tells you to relax?
- Try not to take it personally
- Take a moment of reflection to see if your actions are negatively affecting your relationships
- Take it as a cue to address the underlying problem and start a dialogue about it
As a Coordinated Bridesmaid – what should you say instead of relax?
- Show empathy
- Acknowledge the bride’s feelings by saying something like “Looks like you’re having a rough day, what can I do to help?”
- Ask open ended questions to give the bride a chance to talk about her feelings
- Suggest that she take a break or go for a walk
If you’re interested in genuinely being helpful to your bride, remember that she will feed of your emotions and how calm you are. Help her to calm down so that you both can address the stress causer together. Planning a wedding is emotional for everyone but everything will work out in the end as long as your bride knows that she is not on this wedding planning journey alone.
