"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about" - Unknown
We all regularly have interactions with people who are simply rude. No matter how kind we are, how apologetic, how accommodating, they react with nothing but malice.
Now think of a time in which you may have come off the same way. Were you having a bad day? Were you sick? Were things happening in your personal life, that affected your entire mood, and how you interacted with others?
This week, when you inevitably have one of these reactions with a consultant, colleague, patient, or anyone else, consider giving them the benefit of doubt. Assume they are not necessarily a bad person, but simply are having a bad day, and may be struggling with something you know nothing about. Picturing them this way, as vulnerable and struggling people, makes it much easier to interact with them, not take the interaction personally, and move on.
