Another respondent before me made the statement that you cannot possibly know what was going through this guy’s mind at the time he said this…he may be struggling with his own burdens in his life outside of work, or he might be very insecure about his job performance. We don’t know his story or his situation.

I’m not trying to lay blame on you or make light of your situation, but it helps to approach others’ hurtful behavior from a place of empathy and compassion. Likewise, I don’t know your full story either. You might have been terribly hurt by someone in your past whose behavior affected you the same way. Like Anita suggests, sorting through those feelings will help you move on from the hurt this guy caused you.

We all have our own stories and experiences that can affect our actions and reactions. It is impossible to completely know and understand the mind of another human being. When someone is rude to me, or behaves disrespectfully towards me, I admit that I am hurt and angry, at first. Naturally. I’m human…but then I can’t help but feel pity for them, that their life is so difficult and unpleasant that they feel the need to take it out on me.

I hope you can see things that way the next time this guy (or anyone else) causes you distress.