The Sunshine Protocol
[#tipoftheday⬇️] The Sunshine Protocol: What to do when someone snaps at you rudely by email.
I was discussing this with a friend, who shared an example of when they received a two word email that they felt insulted by.
There are all kinds of reasons why people behave rudely. This post isn’t about unpacking that. It’s about how to deal with the negative energy.
Sadly, many people receive rude emails all day long. For many of you, you may be experiencing #subtlebullying. For others, it may just be a one off.
In all cases: treat these negative emails as if you have an allergic reaction to them. Like an allergy to peanuts.
With this analogy in mind, as soon as you catch wind of an iffy email, allow me to present the ☀️Sunshine Protocol☀️: A series of steps designed to heal reactions to said allergy.
Here they are:
1️⃣Step away and recognise you are having a bad reaction.
2️⃣Assess the reaction. Is it severe/mild/weak?
3️⃣Write initial responses, as angrily as needed. Scream if you may do so without alarming anyone. Turn on your head. Whatever the allergen is causing you to feel, let it out - privately.
4️⃣In your mind swallow a special tablet of antihistamine labelled ’sunshine’ (I don’t manufacture these yet), or conjure up an epi-pen if reaction is severe, and allow it to take effect.
5️⃣ Returning to the allergen (rude email) in your sunshine state, notice how much more easily you compose a delightfully pleasant reply. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself sprinkling exclamation marks in different places. Words like “Kindly, please”, and “helpful” may also be dropping out of your fingertips. If the luxury is available, proceed to sleep peacefully on your pleasant draft email before sending.
6️⃣ Once sent, document all communications, and enjoy the benefits of positive energy seeping through you, and hopefully your recipient too. If you are sincere in implementing this protocol, it may well shift the energy of your recipient, while having a beautiful way of preventing an email war from occurring. Bonus!
In sum, that is the Sunshine Protocol. A hard won series of steps. Because I, too, have sent emails in brevity before, which haven’t landed well. I know how it feels from both sides. And feelings are real. A person sending (not just receiving) a rude email can also feel terrible.
Aside from these steps, I can say that what helps me most is taking care of my mental & emotional well-being, and regularly absorbing positive ideas that remind me to try to be pleasant & kind, even if I feel insulted.
So...
Let’s be allergic to negativity.
If we get even a whiff of it, we initiate Sunshine Protocol, pronto.
Avoid snapping.
And smile like sunshine. ☀️😁🙌🏼
#️⃣: #etiquette #emails #courtesy #professionalism
🎶🔗: 'Shake it Off’ - https://lnkd.in/dvNTQZpu
P.S. Warning: if severely insulted by email, initiate other methods. For example, silence, & urgently seeking professional guidance.
