5 Ways to Respond Instead of Feeling Offended

“Cute haircut . . .”  It sounded like a compliment until he added, “It’d look even better if you’d combed it.”

Then he said, “I’m Oprah’s stylist, so I just say whatever I want to people sometimes.”

I was momentarily stunned. Was it kind of a compliment to be insulted by Oprah’s stylist?

I ran into him while in the mall picking up a tube of mascara one Saturday morning.

I thought he was a sales associate and was about to ask him to grab me a tube of the smokey long-lasting when he insulted me. In front of a bunch of people.

I can remember a time when a comment like that would’ve crushed me.

Is there a person in your life who rarely has a nice word for you?

Maybe it’s your mother in law.

Or do you have a husband who always has a hurtful word for you?

Living with a person who insults you or is critical of you is tough. No one enjoys criticism. And it’s almost a sure way to start a fight.

A disagreement doesn’t start with the insult. It begins with the response.

The natural thing to do when someone offends you is feel hurt and fire back.

But you decide whether or not you’ll feel offended.

And you decide how you’ll respond.

Just as love and forgiveness are choices, feeling offended is a choice, too.

The way you respond when someone offends you has nothing to do with the person who insulted you and everything to do with the kind of person you want to be.

You can’t change them. But you can change how you respond.

You can be responsible for your actions and emotions. No matter how someone else  behaves, you can be intentional about your behavior and your attitude.

Ways to respond instead of feeling offended

1. Stay calm
2. Choose not to respond in kind. 
3. Mirror what the other person said and tell him how it made you feel.
4. Acknowledge he may not have meant to hurt your feelings, but let him know he did.
5. Remove yourself from the situation.
6. Try not to take it personally.
7. Inject humor

The world is full of people who are going to try to knock you down to make themselves to feel better. They may not like the way you drive, dress, walk, or style your hair.

I don’t think Oprah’s stylist was trying to make himself feel better by insulting me. I mean, he’s Oprah’s stylist. It’s probably safe to say he doesn’t even remember it.

When you’re intentional about how you choose to respond, you don’t have to take offense.

Maybe you won’t get it right the first few times, but you can learn to respond differently.

So, when someone tries to cut you down, remember, you decide whether or not you’ll feel offended.

And you don’t have to be because they don’t define who you are.

Need skills to build intimacy?

1. Get on the waitlist for my next group coaching session–Change Your Mind; Change Your Marriage.
2. Visit my website,  like my Facebook page and  join my private Facebook group.
3. Check out my FREE resources and download  How to Be A Wife No Man Will Ever Want to Leave.
4. Apply for private coaching with Sheila.