TO RESPOND OR NOT
By Enigheni Iwori
To snap at someone means to speak angrily or sharply at them. It also means making a caustic, irritable comment or response to a person or persons due to stress, annoyance, perceived ego attack, or sheer lack of emotional intelligence.
Every day, we are placed in different situations. Some are pleasant, others are nerve-racking. To respond or not and how we choose to do so are choices we need to make at every point in time.
From having to struggle with other passengers for limited seats on the bus after waiting for so long at the bus stop, to a rude bus conductor withholding your change, parents and siblings drama at home, the shop attendant who attends to you in a complacent manner, the colleague at work that makes snide remarks or plays loud music, or even your partner who simply cannot understand that you have had a long day sitting through hours of traffic and will rather not speak. These instances have the capacity to make you act out of character, but you have a choice to exercise restraint and not see it as an excuse to make regrettable comments.
You might ask, why should I respond calmly? Or keep quiet? Afterall I can be hotheaded too, but you would quickly discover that when tempted to snap at someone – a pause, quick reflection on what is at stake, slight adjustment of posture or a brief smile before speaking can decide if a situation will stop at a misunderstanding or graduate to a heated argument that could get physical if not handled properly.
As you reflect on your week, did you snap at anyone? If you did, do you understand why you snapped at them? was it the way they addressed you, their tone, body language or were you not just in a good mood?
Give yourself grace today and aim to better communicate or express your feelings, thoughts and opinions in a courteous way. It is not always about the one with the loudest voice, but the one who is heard.
See you next week.
