There are times when I feel that people push to hard. Sometimes they are well meaning and truly concerned, but other times I feel that they are just passive aggressive. They put their noses where it doesn’t belong, telling me that I should just “grin and bear it” or “buck up, it could be worse.” And there are those who tell me that I am not handling my treatment properly or how can I see any doctor other then Dr XXX. On these occasions I just want to lash out, but I don’t.

There is a book called WHEN I SAY NO, I FEEL GUILTY by Manuel J. Smith,
PhD. It was published in the 70s but is available at some libraries
and second hand book stores. I have found this book offers some wonderful responses to those dodo heads who ask embarrassing questions, interfere
in your business, or just push and push until you want to punch them in the nose.

Joel T. Nowak MA, MSW