I decide to remain calm during the day not because I’m a saint but because i don’t have time to argue about being right all the time.
In all seriousness, choosing your battles is one aspect of life that you constantly have to deal with. Sometimes it’s in your favour, and others, it’s playing against you. The attitude you keep during those times is crucial: it will essentially dictate how the rest of your day will go in many cases so I think that’s worth a try, right?
Keeping a calm demeanour is not an easy task as many events in life can be upsetting or stressing. It doesn’t necessarily mean to be passive about it but I see this more as not being an active participant in the stress those can generate.
To me, finding the positive or the silver lining is the better activity to partake in: you take the time to find what’s good about any given situation so it makes you think and see beyond the actual event and maybe you can learn something from it as well.
I’m not talking about having rose-colored glasses and see everything as positive but more as a good practice for the Serenity Prayer:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
This applies whether you believe in God or not: this is a great way of living life and not necessarily stress about everything.
So choose your battles wisely and do not waste energy on what you don’t have any control over.