Have you ever had someone snap at you out of the blue; have you ever done that yourself? You could be trying to help someone, offering advise or you could just be in a normal conversation and all of a sudden they take offense to something you’ve said. Or you could take offense to something that was said right at that particular moment where in most cases whatever it was wouldn’t bother you in the least.
This is built up aggression, frustration, anger we’ve held on to whatever reason. So something…anything triggers this emotion and we explode. Usually it has absolutely nothing to do with the conversation or present situation.
I do my best in these situations NOT to take it personally, I figure whatever the outburst is about….has nothing to do with me. This situation reminds me of a few things that helps me get through some challenging situations.
#1. A great book a like to refer back to is called the Four Agreements. It’s on my ‘books’ page on the front of this website. It goes in depth about not taking things personally. A great book anyone could benefit from.
#2. Eckhart Tollie’s, The Power of Now. Not an easy read, dry in some parts but worth getting through. He says we’re never angry at what we think we are. If anger arises there is usually something else bothering us internally.
Not sure where I read this but it’s a short story I really enjoy and helped me learn a lot about certain situations:
#3. A man was in his boat on a foggy day and bumped into another boat. Suddenly he became irate, started yelling at the owner of the other boat about how inconsiderate and disrespectful he was and how he should watch where he was going. When the fog cleared an empty boat sat stationary in the water…..(one of my favorites).
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