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Stop rude people from derailing your day
We’ve got three steps for dealing with rude people, expert opinions on grown-up stuffies, and the best ways to get over a breakup, STAT.
Greg Sullivan
March 10, 2026 • Est. Reading Time: 9 minutes
“Sleep is good, he said, and books are better.”
― George R. R. Martin
In this issue...
Well-being
A therapist shares the three-step playbook for dealing with rude people without letting them hijack your whole day.
A rude person can ruin your day before you’ve finished your coffee. Some people have a talent for saying just the wrong thing with just the right infuriating tone and boom… It’s all you can think about.
“At the end of the day, emotional regulation is your strength, and reactivity gives your power away.”
Therapist Jeffrey Meltzer says the trick is not “be nicer.” It’s learning how not to hand over the keys to your nervous system in the first place. As Mark Wales reports, skip the passive-aggressive revenge tour and practice calm, assertive responses before you actually need them. It’s less about winning the interaction and more about refusing to let someone else’s bad behavior move into your brain rent-free.
GOOD reader Dana Slatkin shared this photograph by her son, Cary. She describes Cary as an ‘aspiring’ photographer, but with color sense and composition like this, I think we can lose the qualifier.
Do you have a GOOD picture to share?
Send us your best images, and we may feature them as the image of the day. Be sure to tell us a bit about your pic.
Who’s the most iconic rude character of all time?They’re rude. They’re outrageous. We love them anyway. |
And what did we learn?
If you missed yesterday’s delightful story about Scottish children helping penguins find mates by carefully handcrafting colorful pebbles, well, you can still read it. It’s a lot of fun. I used it as an excuse to discuss the habit of ‘pebbling,’ which is the act of sending someone little digital thinking-of-yous in the form of memes or images.
How do GOOD readers feel about pebbling? An overwhelming majority of you love it!
I love it. Tiny “thought of you” moments are the best. (62.0%)
It’s nice, as long as it feels personal and not random. (22.0%)
Cute in theory, but please do not send me more stuff. (12.0%)
Am I a bad person if I hate it? I do not need more red dots. (4.0%)
Health
Is ‘never’ the right time to put the stuffies away for good?
I would never yuck someone else’s yum. Sometimes you just have to look at something and go, you know what? That’s not for me. Enter this piece by Elyssa Goodman.
Elyssa explores why sleeping with a stuffed animal as an adult isn’t a sign of regression, it’s actually a sign of emotional health. Psychologists say cuddling a soft, fuzzy friend can lower stress, ease anxiety, and even help you process old wounds. CNN’s Dr. Jade Wu suggests adults might just be seeking comfort in uncertain times, while other experts argue it’s a deeply valid form of self-soothing.
From Squishmallow collectors to Elyssa’s own four-foot bear named Randolph (who’s lived rent-free for years), grown-ups are rediscovering the quiet power of a good cuddle.
I dunno. Seems a little childish. Now… if you’ll excuse me, as soon as I publish this newsletter, I’ll be getting back to work on this Lego Space Shuttle…
Health
Turns out, the best way to get over your ex isn’t to erase them, it’s to rediscover you.
As our writer Erik Barnes put it, there are a few undeniable facts of life: the sky is blue, water is wet, and breakups suck. So when you’re in that post-relationship depression spiral, how can you escape? Metal music and lemon chicken, apparently.
The real trick? Do absolutely anything your ex kept you from doing. One person brought back their favorite lemon chicken recipe. Another turned the volume up on their forgotten heavy metal playlist. What will your story be? Was your ex allergic to shellfish? Get the crab. Were they a couch potato? Hit the trail!
“Loneliness is a major amplifier of post-breakup pain… This strategy directly attacks that isolation.”
Experts agree: reclaiming your freedom (even if you're still a little salty about it) is one of the healthiest ways to mend a broken heart. There are a few pitfalls to watch for, and you’ll find those in the full story too.
On March 10, 1535, Tomás de Berlanga, a Spanish friar and the Bishop of Panama, was sailing to Peru on official business for the Spanish crown when his ship was pushed off course by equatorial calms and currents. Instead of reaching South America, he drifted into the Galápagos Islands.
That accidental landing became far more important than anyone could have guessed. Berlanga’s account was the first written European description of the islands, which later became famous for their unusual wildlife: giant tortoises, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and species found nowhere else on Earth. Because the islands are so isolated, they became a natural laboratory for evolution, and later helped shape Charles Darwin’s thinking about natural selection.
Today, the Galápagos remain one of the most remarkable places on the planet: a mix of lava fields, turquoise water, cactus forests, and fearless animals that often seem barely bothered by humans. Most of the land is protected, and visiting is tightly managed because the islands are both a dream destination and a fragile conservation treasure.
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Until tomorrow, keep the rude people in your life in their place and snuggle up to that stuffie, experts say it’s OK!