4 HELPFUL WAYS TO DEAL WITH NEGATIVE PEOPLE AROUND US

We meet a lot of people in our lives who do not have concrete goals of their own and rather interfere in the lives and tasks of others unnecessarily. We meet and listen to such people quite often, there are many who are not always negative but are just going through a bad day, but then there are many who are always seen cribbing about their lives and experiences and only have negativity to spread and nothing else. 

Dealing with such habitual pessimists can be difficult, and can lead to emotional drainage of our own self. If our mind is not controlled while facing such people, our mood can be impacted adversely leaving a deep impression of disappointment and hostility. We may try to avoid such people, but avoiding is not always an option, and hence it becomes imperative to face them while protecting ourselves from their negativity, by following these extremely beneficial strategies:

1. DO NOT TRY TO BE THEIR PROBLEM-SOLVER

It is a common reaction to pacify others and provide ideas of solutions to their problems when they share them with us. To try and solve issues of others is fine to some extent, but when we know that the next person is not willing to think positively and is always seen carrying a negative attitude, it is far better to just listen and let go of the negative vibes instead of being an equal part of conversation.

Problems cannot be solved overnight, especially of those who make a mountain of a mole-hill every now and then. Such people often vent out their negativity but are not ready to listen to your positive thoughts in return. Do share your optimism only if asked for; else, be sympathetic for some time and move on with your tasks.

2. DO NOT GIVE THEM THE REACTION THAT THEY WANT

Emotions of frustration, anger, sympathy, happiness, disappointment, etc emerge automatically while listening to others according to whatever they share with us. However, negative people can only extract the unwanted negative emotions from within us, that is the reaction they seek and that is what we must not give in return to their words. They succeed once we lose patience and respond in an unwanted manner.

Negative people often come up with unexpectedly insulting and embarrassing comments due to all the negativity that they carry inside them; it becomes a part of their personality to utter senseless words and insist others to react in the same way. Hence, it is better to listen without being emotional and judgmental, and respond with logic and patience with the right choice of words, thus ending the conversation without giving them the reaction that they desire.

3. OVERCOME NEGATIVE CONVERSATIONS WITH POSITIVE PERSPECTIVES

Pessimists tend to complaint about everything in their lives, be it in the present or in the past. So, whenever an incident is shared by them pointing out the negatives in it, we should listen to them with patience respond with positive alternatives in order to get rid of the negative mindset. We can always tell them to learn from the bitter past and gain knowledge out of it which can definitely prove to be helpful in the times to come.

Also, the conversation can be given a new turn by changing the topic after some time. This would put a halt to the ongoing negative conversation and would make some room for positive discussions to begin.

4. DON’T LET THEIR NEGATIVITY OVERPOWER OUR POSITIVE THOUGHTS

Negativity can prove to be more toxic than anticipated. Therefore, it is extremely important to control our nerves and not fall down to the level of a pessimist. Our optimism may not seem worthy to them, perhaps that is the reason of their disappointment from their very own life which might otherwise be far more luxurious and simpler than many around. Therefore, it must be our priority to remain positive whatever be the situation or conversation. We must let the negative vibes pass instead of entering our mind and disturbing us.

Also, it might not be possible to transform their negative mindset and lead them towards a positive path. However, we can try to rephrase their negative words and put the same situation into less harsh sentences. This may not completely eradicate the negativity, but would definitely pave the way towards neutralizing the toxic outlook.

IN ORDER TO SUMMARIZE, I would strongly suggest everyone to safeguard themselves from any kind of negativity prevailing around them. A negative person can be best dealt with patience and reality-based expectations instead of an aggressive approach. A massive transformation can never take place overnight. A habitual pessimist cannot be made to believe in positive elements of life quickly. First of all, such people tend to remain adamant and do not accept change; Even if they do, they require a lot of time to absorb positivity and hence it becomes imperative for us to understand this whole scenario and focus on our own happiness on priority.

REMEMBER - Keeping ourselves positive and cheerful is of utmost importance. Else, it won’t be long before we join the list of negative people ourselves.