In my conversations with patients and visitors sometimes the topic is how the person has been hurt by what someone else has told them.  I was reminded of these scenarios by the image I used today.  I believe that many times when someone is hurt by they have been told; the person speaking the hurtful comment had no idea the lasting pain their comment would cause.

There are several ways to deal with the situation of being hurt by a comment directed toward you.

• You can go to the person and let them know how you feel and seek clarification to see if they meant what they said.
• You can decide not to let your self-image be defined by hurtful comments you receive.
• As you reflect on the hurtful comment if there is an element of truth in it, you can work to refine your actions so you are a better person.

The most important thing to remember is that we have the choice of how we will respond to a hurtful comment.  We choose to let it weigh us down and cause us pain, or we can let it go using the three methods I listed above, and in doing so be free from the power of negativity that we received.  These decisions of we respond is up to each of us and the appropriate response is also dictated by the context of the specific situation.