Situation

A situation I can think of was a recent conflict with a family member. My cousin and I had taken a road trip. During that road trip, we had daily activities planned. One day, I was exhausted and decided to rest early and did not do any activities. I decided to go for dinner early and then head back to the hotel to relax and decompress. My cousin became angry and showed it through nonverbal communication and body language. She had fits of anger like a kid, and I ignored her and went to sleep.

Response

The next day, she was very short in tte--tte, irritable, and rude. Her simple act of rudeness quickly set me off and put a damper on our trip that day. We insulted each other back and forth. I was irritated and mad while driving the car. I did not talk to her for a while. I was distant from her even though we were both inside the vehicle. I thought she was very inconsiderate towards my needs.

I was physically tired that day from driving, and I needed rest. I understood that she just wanted to have a good time and enjoy every minute of our trip. Emotionally I was sad and angry at the same time. I was sad because I did not want the feeling of anger. I approached her, and we reconciled. We both expressed our feelings and misunderstandings and apologized for any miscommunication.

Analysis

Looking back now, my action was unreasonable. I should not have responded with the same energy as she did. My initial perception was that she was upset with me and that it was for no reason. Why get mad for such small stuff for missing one-day activity. So, I allowed the negative energy to control me. e.

EXERCISE FOR CLARIFYING YOUR THINKING

Please see the above story to answer the questions below.....

1. What is the main point?

2. Can you elaborate on the main point?

3. Can you give an example of the main point?

4. Can you give a metaphor or analogy to better understand?

5. Can you give an illustration of the main point?