Insult Response

People won’t always say the nice things to you. Sometimes people look to hurt your feelings and to do damage with the words they say. “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” is the famous saying but disregarding insults is not as easy as this statement makes it appear. Words hurt. Words can dig deep. The person saying the hurtful words also has a huge influence on our reaction. Disregarding harmful words is difficult but we can all work on it. “Sticks and stones” may cause physical pain to you, but the damage words do to you is entirely up to your own reaction.

When insults are thrown your way or when an argument happens and the other person crosses the line, your reaction is what can either cause a combustion or can diffuse the whole situation. With insults, “bullies” look to say mean things in order to get a reaction out of you. If you let the words get under your skin and become emotionally charged, the “bullies” hold all the power over you and will continue tormenting you. Their insults will become commonplace because they know they will get a reaction out of you. If you instead choose to pause, take a deep breath, and respond with humor the conversation will take an unexpected turn. Responding with humor is a way to tell the “bullies” you have no issue poking fun at yourself. If someone does not like the work you do and insults it, respond back and tell them, “If you don’t like it, you shouldn’t check out any of my other work, it’s also horrible.” A simple perspective change can help ensure the “bullies” do not have power over you. They may choose words to hurt you but you change your perspective to spin their words into words of humor.

Humor is not the only way to respond to insults. You can choose to ignore or you can choose to change the conversation. Ultimately, you have no control over the words other people say. You have no control over their opinion of you. The only thing you can control in these situations is your reaction. Your reaction to their words and the perspective of which you view their words. If you view their words as the worst thing ever, your emotions and the rest of your day will be miserable. If you instead accept what you can and cannot control, your insult response will be much more manageable than the contrary. Saying words will never hurt you is ignorant because we are sentient beings with emotions. Deploying strategies to change your perspective on the hurtful words is the only feasible solution. Sticks and stones will break my bones but my perspective on words will never hurt me.