I try not to let myself react instantly. I remind myself that they are processing their feelings and those are their feelings, not mine.

If I am feeling spiritually fit, I just roll with it and know it is their stuff.

If I am also having a stressful day and am having some tunnel vision of my own and not tending to my own daily inventory, I may take an offense and get a resentment. Bad choice.

I am a sensitive person and some days I can take it and I know it is my co-workers stuff and that is where it stays. Other days, I just don't feel like I am up to being anybodies door matt and I can't honestly tell you what I would do but I can tell you what I would like to do. Roll with it so I don't get entangled in somebody else's drama. It is like a dust devil whirling past me and a bit of dirty dust just happened to get on me as it went about it's furious twisting and turning what ever which way regardless of what was in its path & destroying anything that did get in its path of mindless fury.

So what would I do......do nothing....but probably feel a lot. I learned I have to pick my battles carefully or I will be confronting more people than I think I would really be comfortable doing as often as most people are senseless and unaware of their own behavior.

I silently wish them love and light and give them as much space as they need. If I get blamed for something that's not my fault, that's different, I hold my own but in a firm and polite way and ensure that I respond rather than react. It's worked quite well for me.

Its kind of getting to me because this coworker is doing the same thing again and again but you know what my Recovery helped not as quickly as when it happened but i sat down had few breaths and than i started to think...
I didn't do nothing even though i was feeling frustrated.. All that i had to remember was there is a difference between people in recovery and people who arent... I have more wisdom and patience now so i let it go.

Thanks for all your replies... I have encountered these type of situations in past i made it a point that i will do nothing but when issue happened it took me sometime to digest and venting here helped.

Guess it depends on what kind of day I'm having. I have smiled and and said have a nice day or something. I've also snapped a reply right back at them in the same tone, once I growled but I was teasing a bit. Usually I just don't say much and try to ignore it

I would go pick a flower and give it to them and say Hope your day gets better..... Now either Im so sweet or sarcastic.. either way I picked one for me too ! and seeing the reaction is fun..... just a giggle helps healing

I would express empathy for what he/she is under but remind the person that I deserve to be treated with respect as the worker is entitled to.

I have to step back and realize that their outburst is due to their frustration. Whether I'm part of that frustration is irrelevant unless I'm doing something I shouldn't. Emotional outbursts are generally over perceived injustices. No injustice necessarily exists but if it does in their mind then it is their responsibility to communicate effectively to you what is wrong from their perspective. It may end with you having to let them just deal with it.