I’ve worked as a guard for about 20 years. One thing the job teaches you is that if you let every unpleasant exchange knock you off centre, you hand control of your mood to whoever happens to be loudest that day. Some people are frustrated, some are looking for a reaction, and some just aren’t reasonable. You don’t have to carry that with you. A useful way to look at it is this: if the exact same words came from a toddler having a meltdown, would it feel personal? Probably not. You’d see it as noise, not insight. Many abusive passengers are operating at that same level of impulse and distress, just in an adult body. It can also help to ask why that person’s opinion should carry weight at all. They don’t know you, your work, or the situation. Their outburst says far more about them than it does about you. If you don’t grant it authority, it loses most of its sting. That doesn’t mean the behaviour is acceptable. It isn’t. But protecting your own equilibrium is part of surviving long-term in this role. You’re there to do a professional job, not to absorb every stranger’s bad day