If I could upvote this twice I would. I still haven't gotten to the point where I can be polite all of the time. However, I find that when I try to be pleasant

If I could upvote this twice I would. I still haven't gotten to the point where I can be polite all of the time. However, I find that when I try to be pleasant to people on principle, it takes away a lot of stress. I stop worrying about whether they are treating me well, or if I should start pushing back, because I've already made the decision to be friendly and polite. If they choose not to take advantage of this, that is unfortunate. However, I no longer have to react to their perceived bad behaviour in kind. It is remarkably freeing when I can do this.