When people find themselves forced to do a lot of things that they don't want to do, they sometimes use the phrase 'soul destroying' to describe the experience. But whatever a soul is, if indeed anybody knows, surely it is indestructible! Faith, hope, optimism and trust, are probably similarly resilient. Even if these qualities are severely suppressed for a great length of time, they spring right back to life the moment they are given the slightest encouragement. Life now brings back something you feared you had lostAnger is contagious. Whenever one person expresses it to another, they become yet one more link in a chain that stretches on for a surprisingly long distance. Worry is similarly self-perpetuating. If someone else is anxious and you care about them, you will become anxious too. And then others who are sensitive to your feelings will begin to worry in turn, causing their loved ones to fret about them! It brings a powerful chance to interrupt this sequence, break the chain and change the mood. Just be strongWhen ever we find ourselves in a situation that makes us feel powerless, we instinctively want to find some other situation, no matter how trivial by comparison, in which we can feel powerful. So, if we can't control the weather, we can at least control the temperature of the room we are sitting in. And if we can't stop someone from bossing us about... well, you can see what I'm driving at, can't you? If someone is being difficult or unfairly assertive now, try to understand what else in their life is frustrating them.