People who think they know everything make it extremely hard for those of us that do. — Bumper sticker from the 1980’s.
There are a lot of jerks in the word that seem to delight in nothing more than getting on your nerves. You can never move far enough away from them. You could move to Antartica and the continent’s only psychotic penguin will find you. These kinds of people and penguins can be a major form of stress. Even though they might deserve retribution, you still have to remain calm and think of the consequences when they put you under stress. When you feel the urge to say or do something you will later regret, try reminding yourself of these things instead.
What Will Tomorrow’s Headline Read?
Try to quickly imagne how the media will report on what you plan to do to the person or penguin who is stressing you out. In 2006, I read this headline "Man Kills Teen For Walking On Lawn." In fact, when I feel like retailiating against people who have done me wrong, that exact headline flashes before my eyes. Do you really want to be famous for losing your temper?
You Don’t Know What The Other Person Is Thinking
For people working in customer service, this scenario will be all too familiar. A customer comes in with a problem and suddenly blows his top, making some very interesting observations about you, your schooling and your parentage in the process. Although the words may seem aimed at you in particular, they are probably just a vent of all of the problems in his life.
You don’t know what the other person is thinking. He may be under extreme stress from many different points in his life. If you are at work and this happens, don’t hesitate to call for your supervisor and for security. But don’t plan on revenge. The odds are, the person did not wake up that morning thinking, "I know what. I’ll go to Kmart (or wherever) and verbally abuse the first employee I meet. Yeah, that’ll be great!"
The complete stranger who stressed you out will most likely not even remember what you look like an hour frrom their rant. They have another problem occupying their thoughts.
Don’t Interrupt Them
If someone does stress you out by getting in your face and starting a rant, don’t interrupt. They may take that as a sign of provocation. The best thing you can do is listen, nod and let them get their fears and frustrations out of their system. That also makes the stressful time with this person shorter.
Try to take deep breaths whenever you can. Remind yourself that you have got through this before and you are strong enough to do it again.
Hope this helps.
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