jw.org | Contributed
While working at a grocery store, former San Bernardino resident Dinora Rojas provided shoppers with a greeting and pandemic safety reminders. One day, Rojas encountered a particularly unhappy customer waiting in line to enter the store. The shopper angrily expressed their opinions about the pandemic. Despite Rojas’ pleasant demeanor and kind tone, the shopper’s agitated state quickly escalated.
Rather than retaliate, Rojas chose peace and walked away.
“It was challenging because we are already going through our own problems,” Rojas said. Early in the pandemic, several of her own family members contracted COVID-19 and struggled to recover. In addition, she worried constantly about the potential risk of exposure at her job. The possibility of transmitting the virus to her family at home was a cause for anxiety every day.
In fact, a Gallup poll found higher levels of stress, sadness, anger and worry in 2020 than ever before at any point in the organization’s global tracking.
Whether victim or observer, an encounter with aggressive or angry behavior can catch anyone off guard. Experts say remaining calm is key to ensuring that a precarious situation does not escalate. Anger management expert Ryan Martin’s advice in Psychology Today was, “Stay calm, stay safe and don’t make it worse.”
“I didn’t want to treat her the way she was treating me because I did not know what she was going through,” Rojas said. She credits the Bible-based advice she learns as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses for her ability to maintain composure.
Frontline workers, airline personnel, educators and others can attest to a trend of increased aggression, even becoming targets.
Grocery store worker Isaac Virgil of Palmdale, California, recalls customers aggressively snatching low-stock items from shelves and yanking packages of toilet paper away from fellow shoppers. “People have just gotten more anxious and less patient,” Virgil said. “They seem to only care about themselves and what they need.”
He defuses such situations by remembering the Bible principles his parents have instilled in him. “I’m always polite,” Virgil said. “I try and remember that sometimes the customer can just be having a bad day.”
For fire inspector Roy La Grone of Grand Rapids, Michigan, such volatile situations have posed a particular challenge. “I’ve had a hard time controlling my anger since I was a kid,” he said.
After a four-month medical leave that ended in early 2021, he was anxious to return to work. On his first day back, he made a simple suggestion to the owner of the factory he was inspecting. In a split second, the man erupted into a verbal rant riddled with profanities.
To La Grone, the 150-foot walk to reach the exit door felt like an eternity. The business owner followed him, yelling the entire way, while the office staff stared in stunned disbelief.
“I did everything that I could to try to calm him down,” La Grone said. “I didn’t overreact because I’ve learned that that type of behavior does not help the situation.”
Over the years, La Grone said he has worked hard to minimize his temper. He said that resources from jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses, were particularly useful in dealing with stress, controlling his anger and remaining calm rather than becoming provoked.
“Imitating the good examples of others and applying Bible principles has helped me to remain calm when under pressure,” he said.
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