Five Ways to Combat Rudeness
Handling other people's rudeness is tricky. You can't control someone else's behavior. So focus on maintaining your own standard of good behavior instead. Here are some tips to help:
- Don’t take it personally. Perhaps the offender is the one having a bad day.
- Size up your annoyances. Is it worth it to make a fuss over something small, or is it a waste of your emotional time?
- Set a good example. Rudeness begets rudeness. If you speak sharply to the bank teller, don’t be surprised if you get the same treatment in return.
- Count to ten. When someone’s behavior makes you angry, take a few deep breaths and ask yourself, “Is it really worth blowing my stack over this?”
- Laugh it off. If you can’t come up with a friendly joke, just chuckle and change the subject.
It is easy to say - and hard to do in the moment when you are feeling aggrieved.
