6 Positive Ways to Deal with Toxic People We Can’t Avoid
Unfortunately, a lot of people have someone in their life who always puts them down, rejects their suggestions and ideas, refuses to talk about their problems, drains them emotionally and mentally, and always has something negative to say about them no matter the situation.
Sounds familiar? That person is a toxic person who can affect a person’s wellbeing, mood, and health. They can hurt you the most, and destroy your self-confidence. But, only if you allow them!
Do not let their toxicity affect your own mindset! If you wonder how, here are a few ways to deal with toxic attitudes!
6 Clever Ways to Deal with Toxic People
1. Lend Them Your Ear
Try to start a conversation with this person and make sure they know you are there to listen to their problems. They could be struggling with something and not have anyone to talk to. Who knows, you could beat their anger and frustration with compassion.
Be that person who will lend them an ear and offer advice for their problem.
2. Try to Distance Yourself
Walking away from that person may not always be an option, but, you can always distance yourself from them. For example, if that person is your colleague, ask for a transfer or relocation. Or, if it’s your friend, stop answering their calls and messages.
Being around someone who always complains or criticized you isn’t healthy, and indicates the person could suffer from anxiety, chronic depression, or other mental disorder.
3. Tell Them Their Attitude Hurts People
You don’t have to deal with manipulative, conniving, or brash behavior over and over again. Try to explain to them the way their behavior affects you, and that you’ll no longer tolerate it.
In this way, you will encourage them to change their attitude if they want to keep the people they love around them.
4. Do Something Good for Them
A toxic person is clearly having some issues, and you can either ignore them or offer to help. Choose kindness and compassion whenever you can! By doing something kind for them, you will motivate them to do the same thing.
For example, leave your annoying co-worker some cookies on their desk, or buy them some food if you know they have piles of work.
5. Find Time for Yourself
If you are surrounded by toxic people, you know how much they could drain your energy. That’s why it’s crucial that you take some time for yourself to restore your energy and prevent their negative attitude from permanently affecting your own.
In that way, you’ll prevent their toxicity from lodging in your own mindset.
6. Don’t Focus on the Problem – Only on the Solution!
Your emotional state depends on the focus of your attention. So, by focusing on the problems you are facing, you are only prolonging and intensifying the negative emotions and stress.
On the other hand, by focusing on how to improve your situation and solve the problem, you reduce stress and improve your self-confidence.
That’s exactly what you should do with toxic people. Don’t focus your attention on how troubling they are, but focus on the positive ways to deal with them.
Although the best way to prevent toxic people from affecting your life is to cut them out of your life, sometimes that’s just impossible. In such a case, use the methods we’ve just explained here that will help you deal with them in the best way possible.
