​

Hi Reader!

Ok, so now you know how to first protect yourself against the troll invading your home, and how to handle your anxiety, panic or rage once you read the troll’s lovely comments about you.

What now?

When somebody gives their opinion about us or our services, I like to ask myself, no matter how outrageous their speculation may seem, “How could this be true?” “How is it possible it may look like that from their point of view?” If there’s absolutely not a grain of truth in it, no matter how you twist and turn it, well, good to know! You don’t need to change anything in your protocols and way you normally do things; this person has just got the wrong idea for some personal, nothing-to-do-with-you reason. You just have to limit the damage that could be done online. That would be the case for me, when someone said on Facebook we experimented on animals and tortured pets in my clinic.

What if there IS some truth in it?

Ok, so if someone says you’re just in it for the money - it IS partly true, right? You love your job - AND you like having a roof over your head, being able to feed your children and go on holiday, thank you very much. So own that. There is absolutely no reason to feel guilty over that (I’ll have to write a whole other post on that one), and you can let your clients know that yes, it’s a service they have to pay for, and just as doctors and dentists and chiropractors you ain’t cheap!

If the claim is something along the lines of “I wasn’t told how much it would be”, or “They never offered me x,y or z”, or “They never pick up the phones”, or “they let Fido die”, you might want to look at it. You might try to find out where there could potentially be some truth in this, so you can change protocols if there is a real problem, or something that could be PERCEIVED as a problem. You want to do this with as little drama as possible in your brain (“I WISH I had never…” “This ALWAYS happens to me..” and so on), and just deal with it.
​

Sometimes the comments can be very personal and hurtful. This is where you want to watch where your brain goes. You need to remember that hurt people hurt people. We have absolutely no idea of what goes on in other people's brains, or what their prior history is. I can promise you that whatever they say about you, deep down it IS NOT ABOUT YOU. Sometimes the 16 year old cat you couldn’t save belonged to their dead child, something they never got over and now this is a new outlet that temporarily relieves them from grief as they launch themselves into rage and frustration instead. I’m not saying you should just sit and take it, of course you should expect respect from your clients, but if you don’t let it hit home and make it mean a lot about you, it gets much easier to handle.

This is also where it is excellent to practice letting others be wrong about you. You don’t want the clients that hate you, don’t understand you or don’t agree with the way you work. You can just let them go and find another veterinary clinic that is a better match. And it doesn’t mean anything about you as a person or as a vet.

So when your brain starts arguing, all inside your head, with the trolls' allegations, for hours and hours, stop it. It’s a waste of brain space, literally. If your brain is really spinning and can’t let it go, sit down and journal on it. Write out why you don’t agree with what they said, and why it’s important to you that they should think and say differently. You’ll probably notice your brain's arguments deflate, and you can let it go.

I want to reiterate that of course you should take whatever action needed legally (report threats, etc) and technically (block comments, etc). My job is to help you avoid additional, unnecessary suffering when someone has a strong opinion about you and expresses it. You can protect yourself emotionally and mentally if you know how your brain and nervous system works, and recover much quicker from any dispute. And it's possible for anyone to learn this.

Have a great weekend!

xxx

I know coaching can help anyone. I know as veterinarians, we tend to talk ourselves down, feel guilty, and struggle with setting boundaries, and so many more issues. All of our experiences can be bettered by coaching, and I want to show you it doesn’t have to be so hard and that you can enjoy your work no matter what. Reach out for a free consult HERE and find out how.