How often does this happen—you meet a friend or coworker, and you ask, “How are you?” or “How was your week?” And the answer you get is almost always the same: “Busy.” Or “Crazy.”
How does it feel when you hear that? It instantly brings to mind frustration, stress, fatigue, overwhelm. Without meaning to, we create stress for the other person just by choosing that word. And then they usually agree and say something like, “Yeah, I’ve been so busy too.” Suddenly both of you are reliving stress you didn’t need to think about.
People make unconscious judgments about us every time we speak. They form a gut impression about whether talking with us will be energizing or draining based on how we’ve made them feel in past conversations.
So instead of responding with “busy,” try something that sparks curiosity and connection. You can say:
“I learned something about patience this week that’s going to help me a lot.”
“I was surprised by how well I handled a lot of different challenges at once.”
“This week taught me something interesting about myself.”
Now the person across from you wants to know more. They lean in. They become interested. You’re not dumping stress—you’re opening a meaningful conversation.
Saying, “It was busy,” ends a conversation.Saying, “I learned something,” begins one.
Consider your first response when someone greets you. Most people go their whole life never thinking about it. Be the person others want to be around—someone who adds energy, not stress.