Sure, we all love saying the things that are on our minds but in many situations keeping our mouths shut is a much better option. Whether you’re taking to someone you hardly know or someone you’re very close to, choosing your words wisely is important.

Below I am going to go over some of the situations or instances where keeping your words to yourself might be a better option than speaking your mind. While it will make you feel better in the moment, saying something rude or perhaps too real isn’t always going to help as well as you might think. When you’re faced with these provocations perhaps you should just walk away.

10 Times When Saying Nothing At All Is Your Best Option:

1. Say nothing when it will only make you angrier.

If what you’re about to say is only going to get you more worked up, don’t say it. Take some time to relax and give yourself a real moment to really settle down. When we’re angry the best thing we can do is separate for a moment to cool off.

2. Say nothing when the person you’re speaking to refuses to hear it.

When the person you’re talking to isn’t going to listen to you anyway, why waste your time? You should speak only to those who are willing to hear you out. Your words matter and should not be wasted.

3. Say nothing when it would allow someone to further taunt you.

If someone is only intending to use your words against you, speaking to them is never a good option. Use your words to disarm or say nothing at all. They are not going to just back off and regardless of what you bring to the table, they won’t let you ‘win.’ Picking our battles is important and some battles just aren’t worth picking.

4. Say nothing when it would force you to further engage with someone who doesn’t deserve your time.

When someone is wasting your time and playing games with you, they do not deserve the thought or effort that goes into breaking things down verbally. Cut ties and move on. You are worth more than you realize.

5. Say nothing when it reinforces bad behavior.

When bad behavior is unavoidable and speaking on the topic will merely feed into it, don’t. Do not let someone take your words the wrong way. Rather than saying something that might encourage their behavior, say nothing.

6. Say nothing when it would hurt someone’s feelings without reason.

If there is no reason to be saying things why say them at all? Sure, you might not like the way someone is going about things but hurting their feelings is only going to close them off from you more as time passes. You are not in charge of the lives of others and you need to keep that in mind.

7. Say nothing when it is a close-minded view.

If what you’re about to say is close-minded, stop yourself. Take some time to think from a more open perspective and then reapply yourself to the same sentence to determine if it is worth noting or not. Usually, in cases like this, we find that the thought we add makes a difference in how we see things.

8. Say nothing when it will only make things worse.

Sure, speaking your mind in the heat of the moment might make you feel like you’ve won but if you’re only making the situation worse why do it? If there is no resolution within your words don’t speak them. We live short lives and should not waste them being angry or fighting if we can help it.

9. Say nothing when it causes you more pain.

If the words you want to speak are going to cause you more pain than they are worth, don’t give them any power. The pain you feel is something you can release without bringing more grief forth. Your wellbeing matters and you are the only person who has the ability to maintain it.

10. Say nothing when it’s time to walk away.

When it is time to walk away words will do no good. Saying nothing is always your best bet even if it feels as if you need to go the extra mile and share your thoughts. When walking away becomes a point you cannot avoid, words will do no good and shouldn’t be wasted.