Do you have people in your life to whom you wish you could say, “poof!” and they’d be gone – off to bother someone else? Maybe it’s because they’re perpetually antagonistic, intolerably obnoxious, always negative or insufferably nosy. Whatever the situation, you could do without them. If only you could just do what employers do from time to time – issue a pink slip, fire them.
Most of us know someone like that. They can be found at our holiday dinner tables, our business meetings, social functions, at work, at church, ball parks and sometimes just next door. Unfortunately, some of them cannot be set aside or sent away. They may be family members or others with whom you have no choice but to interact from time to time.
If you’re feeling stressed out because of having to routinely deal with difficult people, don’t despair. The good news is that there are some strategies you can use to effectively deal with many of those difficulties. You don’t have to lose your cool. Here are five cool tips you can use to help you deal better with difficult situations that may arise:
Smile and don’t get excited. Some people try to get you to see things their way by questioning your ability, trivializing what you say or “talking down” to you. The message you want to send to this person is that they don’t scare or intimidate you. Keep your cool. You’ll take the wind out of their sails and keep them more focused on the matter at hand.
Try to get to know more about the other person. This can be one of the best ways to deal with a difficult neighbor. Ask about their job or favorite hobby. Talk about the weather or some other innocuous topic. When you begin to build rapport in one or two areas, it can carry over into a variety of others. And it’s a way to send a message that you want to engage in peaceful conversation.
Take a step back and evaluate the situation. When you are dealing with a family member, see if you can figure out why the other person feels the way they do. Perhaps you are seen by them as being worldlier. Maybe they have not encountered or been exposed to those life lessons or situations to which you know about all too well. Consider giving them benefit of the doubt by reacting with logic, understanding and kindness.
Don’t get pulled into ego contests. These sorts of encounters are not worth the time given to it. Remain poised and simply refuse to sink to the level of ego bantering. Find a way to excuse yourself from the conversation or just let them go at it until their fuse has blown out.
Count to ten before you say anything. That sage advice still works. At the very least, take a deep breath before you say anything. Try to keep your cool, even when the other person does not. If you feel too tempted to fight back, remove yourself from the situation altogether and go outside to calm yourself.
In some situations, you may each have to agree to disagree. Try to understand and accept that each of you has a different perspective and move on. In the end, it may come down to “live and let live.” You can go your way, and let them go merrily on their way, and never your paths to meet again. Sigh…!
Help, They’re Driving Me Crazy!
Most of us know someone like that. They can be found at our holiday dinner tables, our business meetings, social functions, at work, at church, ball parks and sometimes just next door. Unfortunately, some of them cannot be set aside or sent away. They may be family members or others with whom you have no choice but to interact from time to time.
If you’re feeling stressed out because of having to routinely deal with difficult people, don’t despair. The good news is that there are some strategies you can use to effectively deal with many of those difficulties. You don’t have to lose your cool. Here are five cool tips you can use to help you deal better with difficult situations that may arise:
In some situations, you may each have to agree to disagree. Try to understand and accept that each of you has a different perspective and move on. In the end, it may come down to “live and let live.” You can go your way, and let them go merrily on their way, and never your paths to meet again. Sigh…!