Tell us about a time when you felt out of place.
When I meet new people, their curiosity about my physical disability is evident in their expressions. I push through any initial hesitation and focus on enjoying our time together.
Another incident that makes me feel out of place is when I receive unsolicited advice on how to cure Rheumatoid Arthritis. That makes me uncomfortable. Most of the time, it comes from a caring place, with people wanting to help me get better. What they don’t realize is that they are crossing a personal boundary in my life regarding how I manage my health, which is none of their business. They are treating me like a child because I refuse to accept their advice on how to handle my disability and don’t respect my decisions.
Most of the time, I ignore it because I don’t want to be friends with them. There are times in a friendship when a friend has crossed that boundary, and I need to tell them to basically back off. If the friendship ends, it wasn’t strong enough to begin with.
Have you ever found yourself on the receiving end of unsolicited advice, especially when it comes to personal matters? If so, how did you handle these situations, and what lessons did you learn from them?
Alexandra Mars 