If I’m on my “Emotional A-Game” and someone is rude to me (cuts me off in traffic, is condescending, has a mean twitter comment, etc), then I’m able to approach them with a curiosity mindset:
Why are they rude to me?
What did I do to contribute to this?
How are they hurting?
What can I do to help them?
However, my challenge is that I am usually on my “Emotional B-Game” (or more accurately, a B-minus/C-plus-Game), and therefore I overreact, exacerbating the situation.
No easy solutions here, but I do recognize this is for me to work on. and for me? I think being more curious about other people’s feelings is critical.