Steem4nigeria Accelerator Contest Week 91: Not what you think.

Hello, friends welcome to my post in which I have discussed "Not What you think." as part of my participation in this 👉contest organized by @steem4nigeria

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What do you understand by being "Misunderstood"?

Source

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What I understand by being Misunderstood is that someone interprets my words, actions, or intention differently from what I truly meant. Whenever someone misunderstands me, it creates emotional distance, confusion, and most of the time conflict between me and those who misunderstood me, and this happens to me when the misunderstanding affects my personality, feelings, or integrity.

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Have you found yourself in such a situation? If so, kindly share with us your experience.

Yes, I have found myself in such a situation. There was a time when I tried helping someone with her issues, but the person misunderstood me and saw the whole thing as entirely different from my own viewpoint. I felt bad and just distanced myself from the person, and after some weeks of not communicating with the person, she then realised that she had misunderstood me.

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How did you feel and how did you handle the misconception?

I feel emotionally bad about the person's actions because I was emotionally misjudged. As of then, I just feel like not helping people, especially ladies, again because of how they do misunderstand someone's gesture. Also, I feel frustrated because my heart was in the right place to help, and finally, I feel angry, isolated to the point that I started doubting myself.

How I handled it

I handled it with calmness by clarifying my intention, rephrasing my words with more empathy, changing my actions, and asking the person questions to better understand her perspective. It was from that day that I came to realise that how I say something matters and not just as much as what I say.

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Is there any advice you would love to give to your readers so they don't find themselves in your shoes?

My advice to readers is that they don't find themselves in my shoes.

• Be clear, not just right: As humans, don't assume others will get what you mean clearly. Clarify your intentions early.

• Listen Before Defending: Whenever someone misunderstands you, just pause, ask questions, and understand what they heard about you before explaining yourself.

• Watch your tone and timingand finally, don't take it too personally as everyone sees the world through their own lens based on their past experiences.

I am inviting: @dove11, @ruthjoe, and @Ihorgic