My mother is a very wise person and this advice comes indirectly from her.  As long as you are alive you will encounter difficult people and situations, there is no way to avoid them.  Therefore, you have to find a way to deal with the person or the situation in a way that does not increase your stress. For years I struggled with dealing with racism from my patients.  I have had patients refuse to have their procedures because I’m black; I have also had patients refuse to speak to me during the pre-operative period because I’m black; and the one that really works my nerves, is the insulting question: “Are you a real doctor?”  After years of complaining to my mother, who said the same thing every time -“change your attitude”- it finally dawned on me that she was right.  I needed to change my attitude because that is the only thing I could control.

I cannot control other people or situations; however, I can control how I choose to respond.  Instead of getting upset, now I smile and remember that I am here to serve God.  This does not mean that I do not feel hurt, but I process the discomfort more quickly and let the negativity roll off my back faster than I used to, thereby preventing the person or situation from destroying my peace.  People tend to fear what they don’t understand and rather than making the effort to try and understand, they close their minds to learning and respond with bigotry and meanness.  I am not perfect, but I try to treat everyone the way that I want to be treated, it may not always be reciprocated, but that is their choice.

SOURCE OF IMAGE: SHDR