Do you want to know how to deal with negative people?
If you do, then join us as we share essential information on how to do so.
Negativity and positivity help to bring balance to the world.
However, when there is too much negativity, it can make things get out of control.
The same goes for having negative people in our lives.
They drain people of their energy, make them lose hope, and destroy their confidence.
Some times, we find it difficult to cut people out of our lives, as they could be family members or other important people in our lives.
However, we can avoid some of the things they bring our way by learning how to deal with them.
As we said, we would look at how to get this done in this article,
Therefore, follow us as we begin by understanding who negative people are…
Who are Negative People? – How to Deal With Negative People
‘Negative people’ is a term used to describe individuals who exhibit or promote negativity.
These individuals are those who think, speak, act, and behave negatively.
Their negativity starts from their mind.
This is because what a person thinks determines how they act, behave, and speak.
Hence, we can say that negative people are those with negative thinking patterns.
Anyone can have negative thinking patterns and exhibit negative behaviors.
Signs of Negative People – How to Deal with Negative People
Negative people are not so difficult to identify.
This is because they radiate and promote negativity in almost everything they do.
However, we will share with you some behaviors, and signs that can help you to quickly identify them.
Constant Worrying
Negative people have negative thinking patterns that make them see the bad in everything.
As a result, these people live in constant worrying and fear.
It is almost like they survive and thrive in worry.
This makes them feel very conscious about everything.
They Dictate To Others – How to Deal with Negative People
Negative people like to dictate things to other people.
They feel like they don’t have any control over their lives.
So, they seek to find control in other people’s life.
To them, it is easier to dictate to others than to sort out their lives.
Constant Complaining
Negative people are perpetual complainers.
They feel like the world and everybody in it are against them.
So, they complain about everything from their boss to the weather, to their upbringing.
They see themselves as the victim, while every other person is the villain.
These people do not consider other factors when something happens.
They don’t look at how their action or behavior would have impacted a situation.
They Enjoy Bad News – How to Deal with Negative People
Negative people enjoy bad news and share it with others.
They do not mind being exposed to bad news.
So, they do not reduce their exposure to them.
These people feel that other people are like them.
As a result, they share bad news with other people at every chance they get.
Overexposure to bad news negatively affects people’s outlook and perspective in life.
This is one reason they hardly change.
Also, negative people’s exposure to negative news is a reason why they live in constant fear.
They have heard so much bad news that their mind has reprogrammed to expect bad things at every corner.
Sensitivity to Criticism
Negative people cannot take criticism.
They have thin skin that makes them oversensitive to even the friendliest compliments.
These people can read a simple compliment to be something more than what it is.
They interpret friendly and innocent remarks or jokes to be rude or condescending.
They are Happy in Their Comfort Zone – How to Deal with Negative People
Negative people find it difficult to move out of their comfort zone.
In other words, they had rather stay put in the position and state they are in than become better or more exposed.
These people are scared of possible discomfort, failures, or challenges they might face when they step out of their safe space.
So, instead of risking things and trying out new things, they stay put in the dreary and dull position they know and are used to.
Future Projects Do Not Excite Them
Negative people are worries who live in constant fear.
As a result, they are never excited when they have a future project.
Rather, they wallow in their fear and present misery.
Positive people are excited to pursue their dreams, visions, and project.
They believe that things will work out even if they get stuck at a point.
Meanwhile, negative people get scared about their future projects and count and list out the things that could go wrong.
They Infuse Negativity into Good News – How to Deal with Negative People
Have you ever heard good news and then hear it get twisted and infused with negativity by a negative person?
If you have, you might know what we mean.
Negative people love putting a negative spice or flavor to good news.
Most people are scared to tell negative people about their good news because they know that they will add negativity.
Instead of celebrating with you for starting your business, a negative person would warn you to watch out for dangers.
They Drain People’s Energy
Whenever a negative person goes where other people are, they zap those people’s energy.
When we say energy we do not mean their physical strength.
We mean people’s hope and happiness.
Their negativity produces energy that absorbs people’s positivity.
A person who keeps being exposed to negative people without effectively dealing with them will most likely lose all their positivity.
They Do Not Enjoy Life to the Fullest – How to Deal with Negative People
As a result of their negativity, these people do not enjoy life to the fullest.
Their worry and fear rob them of joy, excitement, contentment, and passion.
These people hardly recognize these feelings or even experience them.
Their fixation on bad things destroys their chances of enjoying good things.
They are Secretive
It is quite tedious to have conversations with negative people.
This is mostly because they are usually scared to reveal things about themselves.
They are afraid that any information they give about themselves will be used negatively against them.
So, they become defensive and reserved during any conversation that requires them to share things about themselves.
They Rarely Achieve Success
Achieving success is not so easy.
It takes determination, hard work, positivity, and other vital factors.
Yet, it is still attainable.
However, negative people find it more difficult to achieve success.
This is because they lack positivity and they are scared of several things they ought to do to ensure success.
They often feel like they do not have what it takes to achieve success.
Furthermore, they find it difficult to work with other people.
Rather than collaborate with others, they complain and whine about things and people.
As a result of all of these, they drag others down and hardly achieve success.
Tips on How to Deal With Negative People
Dealing with negative people is the ability to effectively live and work with negative people without them causing harm to our lives.
You need to learn how to effectively deal with negative people so that you can live happily and positively even when they are around.
We have prepared some wonderful tips that will enable you to do this.
1. Identify Negative People
You need to be able to identify negative people, to avoid treating someone who is not negative the wrong way.
The signs we shared will help you to effectively identify them.
Once you can identify them, you can then start dealing with them in a way that would enable you to stay positive while working or living with them.
2. Understand and Remember That You are Not Responsible For Them – How to Deal with Negative People
Negative people have a way of making other people feel bad and down like themselves.
This sometimes makes some people feel like they are at fault.
Other times, it makes them feel unhappy for the negative person.
As a result, these people oftentimes want to make the negative person less negative.
When you feel like this, you should catch yourself in time before you fall into something you cannot bring yourself out from.
In other words, ensure that you never feel responsible for negative people’s behavior, words, or actions.
Understand that you are not at fault and you cannot change them.
When you deal with negative people you need to ensure that you set a limit for yourself to avoid feeling responsible for them.
For example, if you have a negative friend, and whenever that friend is around you all they do is whine and complain about different things.
This can make your energy might start going low and even make you start feeling bad for them.
You might even have been encouraging that person, but they keep being negative.
When this happens, you might also start thinking of a solution for their problems, or think of a way to make them feel better.
However, when you start feeling or thinking like that you should stop yourself.
As kind as your gesture or thought is, a negative person might still take it for granted and keep being negative.
So, do not make yourself responsible for their change when they do not want change.
Never give your unsolicited advice.
Wait till they ask for your advice before you offer it.
Understand and remember at all times that it is not your duty or responsibility to change them.
Rather, stay positive and wave off their negativity.
3. Offer Support
When a person you know shows an initial negative behavior, do not be quick to wave them off.
Some of them just need someone to listen to them.
So, try to offer assistance to them if they need it.
Yes, you are not responsible for them.
However, you have to understand when you should involve yourself and when not to.
In other words, when a person needs help you should not hesitate to offer support.
Being compassionate can help spread positivity to a negative person or someone feeling negative.
Check here to discover 10 ways you can support your best customers.
4. Do Not Get Sucked Into Negativity – How to Deal with Negative People
When you confront negative people it is usually tempting to fall into their negativity.
So, rather than getting sucked in or stuck in their negativity, you should choose not to take part in their negativity.
This does not necessarily mean you should ignore them.
It simply means that you maintain an emotional distance between yourself and them.
To do this you should:
Avoid Arguing with Them – How to Deal with Negative People
Most times people argue with negative people about why they shouldn’t be negative.
They do this to make them change.
However, this can backfire quickly.
This is because these people often have several questions to tackle you with.
They set up a defense that you cannot break down even when you have answers to their questions.
As a result, you would most likely spend your effort and time on nothing.
Also, you might get sucked and stuck in a dark cloud trying to understand why the argument went like that.
So, you should avoid arguing with them about their negativity.
Give Noncommittal Comments/ Answers – How to Deal with Negative People
Negative people love to exaggerate negative or bad things.
In other words, they focus on the negative part of things and make them bigger than how it is.
While they ignore positivity and find means to make it lesser than how it is in a situation or thing.
When they do this, people are usually tempted to set them straight.
This often leads to a confrontation and reinforces their belief that everybody is after or against them.
So, to avoid this, you should give noncommittal answers or comments that neither condemn nor encourage their negativity.
Some examples of noncommittal comments are ‘I see’ or ‘Okay’.
You can choose to follow up on your noncommittal comment with your positive take.
5. Make Use of Appreciative Inquiry
When you are conversing with a negative person avoid being confrontational.
Rather, make use of the appreciative inquiry technique
This technique is used to ask questions in a way that will enable an individual to envision a better or positive future.
When a negative person starts complaining about their experience, you should try to redirect their focus by using appreciative inquiry.
In other words, ask them questions that are focused on the good or positive part of what they experienced.
Or you could ask them questions based on the future.
These questions should point towards a better and brighter future, what it entails, and how it can be achieved.
Your question can be something like ‘What are those things you would like to gain next time?’
It could also be something like ‘What is the good part of this experience?’
Stay calm and gentle while you use this technique.
6. Redirect the Conversation – How to Deal with Negative People
You should not give up if the appreciative inquiry technique does not guide the conversation towards positivity and productivity.
Instead, gently guide the conversation to something more harmless, or inoffensive.
For example, the conversation might have been about their ‘difficult coworker’.
You might have used the appreciative inquiry to make them stop complaining and focus on the good qualities of their coworker.
However, when it does not work, you should just quickly and gently talk about something as mundane as the weather or weekend plans.
You could say something like ‘I see that you are not happy with your coworker. You probably have a lot on your hands. So, how do you like the weather?’
This way you shift their attention from their present misery to something less annoying to them.
7. Set Boundaries
To effectively deal with negative people, you have to ensure that you set clear boundaries.
This is mostly because negative people often disrespect people.
Setting boundaries and sticking by them will help you to curb whatever they bring your way.
Also, setting boundaries will help you remember that you are not responsible for their negativity.
Setting a rule to walk out when their negativity gets too much to handle is a good example of a boundary that can help you remember that you are responsible for them.
This way, instead of staying put while watching and listening speak and act negatively, you would leave to protect yourself from their negativity.
Limiting the time you spend with them, and restricting their chance to share their negativity with you is very important.
However, while you set your boundaries and stick by them, ensure that you do it nicely.
If you do not, you would make them feel more negative.
This is especially true if a negative person feels attacked by the world.
For instance, you have a business partner who whines and complains a lot.
This would most likely be frustrating and draining for you.
However, you should not scold them or become angry when they start complaining.
Rather, you should calmly tell them that you are busy and do not have the luxury to listen to them.
8. Socialize in Groups – How to Deal with Negative People
You can reduce the impact or influence a negative individual has on you by socializing with them in groups.
This way, their negativity will not be directed to only you.
Furthermore, negative people sometimes behave themselves when they are around a group of people.
However, when you socialize in groups with them ensure that the negative person does not get ganged up by the others.
For this to happen, the people in your group should be empathetic towards the negative individual.
This way, they would not feel attacked but cared for.
Your care and compassion can help such a person overcome their negativity and become more positive.
Conclusion on How to Deal With Negative People
Negative people are a handful.
They repel positivity, frustrate, annoy and drain people’s energy and hope.
If you choose to stay positive and happy even when you are with negative people, then you need to know how to effectively deal with them.
In this article, we have shared tips and information on how to do so.
So, we hope that it is of help to you.
