Dealing with negativity can be quite a downer. I once had a coworker whose negative energy would wash over me on a daily basis. In our conversations, she would complain endlessly about everything – work tasks, family, friends, health, and anything else she could think of. She was also extremely cynical about others, often doubting their intentions and judging them harshly. Talking to her wasn’t a pleasant experience, to say the least.
The first time we had a meeting I felt completely drained. Even though we spoke for just 30 minutes, I barely had any energy left after our conversation. It felt as if someone had literally sucked the life out of me, and it took a couple hours for the effects to wear off. The same thing happened the next few times we spoke too. I quickly realized I needed to work out an action plan to deal with this kind of negative energy. After all, she was not going to be the only negative person I was going to encounter in my life.
I gradually developed several key strategies for dealing with negative people effectively.
1. Set and enforce limits.
Negative people who wallow in their problems and fail to focus on solutions are hard to deal with. They want people to join their 24/7 pity party so they can feel better about themselves. And you may feel pressured to listen to their complaints simply because you don’t want to be seen as callous or rude, but there’s a fine line between lending a compassionate ear and getting sucked into their negative emotional drama.
You can avoid this drama by setting limits and distancing yourself when necessary. Think of it this way: if a negative person were chain-smoking cigarettes, would you sit beside them all day inhaling their second-hand smoke? No, you wouldn’t – you’d distance yourself. So go ahead and give yourself some breathing room when you must.
If distancing yourself is impossible in the near-term, another great way to set limits is to ask a negative person how they intend to fix the problem they’re complaining about. Oftentimes they will either quiet down or redirect the conversation in a more harmonious direction, at least temporarily.
2. Respond mindfully – don’t just react.
A reaction is a hot, thoughtless, in-the-moment eruption of emotion that’s usually driven by your ego (as human beings, we’re more likely to react when we’re disconnected from our logical mind). It might last just a split second before your intuition kicks in and offers some perspective, or it might take over to the point that you act on it. When you feel angry or flustered after dealing with a negative person, that’s a sign you’ve reacted rather than responded mindfully. Responding mindfully will leave you feeling like you handled things with integrity and poise.
Bottom line: When you encounter someone with a negative attitude, don’t respond by throwing insults back at them. Keep your dignity and don’t lower yourself to their level. True strength is being bold enough to walk away from the nonsense with your head held high.
3. Introduce lighter topics of discussion.
Some people’s negative attitudes are triggered by specific, seemingly harmless topics. For example, one of my friends turns into a very toxic self-victimizer whenever we talk about her job. No matter what I say, she’ll complain about everything related to her job, and when I try to interject with positive comments, she just rolls right over them with more negativity. Obviously this becomes quite a conversation dampener.
If you find yourself in a similar conversational situation, and the person you’re talking with is stuck on a topic that’s bringing you down, realize their negative emotions may be too deeply rooted to address in a one-off conversation. Your best bet is to introduce a new topic to lighten the mood. Simple things like funny memories, mutual friendships, personal success stories, and other kinds of happy news make for light conversation. Keep it to areas the person feels positive about.
Reflect on these three,let it guide you to know who to associate with.Other key strategies to come tomorrow.
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