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We meet many people in everyday life. Few negative persons always habitually talk negatively about others without any valid reason. Sometimes this person talks about some negative incident that took place with them some ten to fifteen years ago. We all feel that they are still living in that time.
If that person is your family member, colleague, good friend, or someone with whom you have to deal with daily. All this disturbs you mentally and emotionally. This article will help you recognize a negative person and about the 11 best ways to deal with a negative person.
How to Recognize a Negative Person?
Sometimes it is difficult to recognize negative people. Here, are some of the most common behaviors of negative people that will help you recognize people with a negative attitude.
1. Always worried about some or other things
Negative people are always disturbed about something. They stayed in an unhappy state even when people around them were happy and things were going well in their life.
2. Criticize people and things
Negative people always complain about other people and things. They hardly analyze their faults and lack of dedication toward day-to-day work. They never imagine the positive side of life and you will never find them happy.
3. Negative people hate change
Negative people hate to try new things. They avoid facing discomfort or new challenges in life. These people never dare to move out of their comfort zone. That is why they fail to experience new things and remain caught up in living a boring life.
4. They deplete energy
They decrease other people’s energy through their continuous negative talks and attitudes. Their negativity will absorb your time, attention, and energy. Ultimately, you will get drained emotionally and physically at the end of your interaction with them.
5. They keep grumbling about people and things
Negative people find faults in things, people, and situations. They always present themselves as victims of bad luck, ungrateful family members, and difficult life situations. They hardly try to analyze their lack of contribution to improving things. They strongly believe that nobody supports them.
6. Always hesitate to move out of their comfort zone
Negative people hardly dare to move out of their comfort zone. They love to live in a default state and the slightest change disturbs them. That is why they get caught up in living the same boring life devoid of fun and new experiences.
7. They find faults in everything
They will never compliment people or things. A negative person might admire you for your dress or looks. But the only problem is they finish their compliment by adding a few suggestions for improvement. The moral of the story is that they hardly try to look at the positive side of life.
8. Negative people love sharing bad news
As soon as they hear some bad news they will run to people around them and start sharing. This gives them immense satisfaction and motivation. Negative news like accidents, war, or some natural calamities negatively affects a person. That is why wise people always stay away from mobile and newspapers in the morning and spend their time on self-improvement.
9. They are incompetent in success
Their negative attitude stops them from fighting life’s challenges. They always think they are not good enough. Their emotional intelligence prevents them from achieving success.
10. They are sensitive to criticism
Negative people find suggestions or innocent remarks insulting. Sometimes they even take compliments or jokes as rude and make a big issue of it.
11 Best Ways to Deal With a Negative Person
Sometimes it is difficult to deal with negative people. Here, are the 11 best ways that will help you deal with a negative person in your life.
1. Remain Shielded
When you trust your skills and abilities, negative people may hurt you temporarily with their negative comments, but they can’t cut you down.
They can’t administer self-doubt and prevent you from doing things you love because their negative attitude is a reflection of their fear.
Whenever you get stressed by their negative attitude, try to bring your focus on yourself and think about your achievements in life.
2. Measure Your Time
Negative people eat your time even when they are not around. You will get so consumed in thinking about their bad behavior that your productive time will get wasted. Whenever you find yourself thinking about the behavior of negative people try to come back on in the present moment.
The best way to deal with it is to try to catch your thoughts. Whenever you find your thoughts are going back to a negative person’s behavior and actions, consciously redirect them to doing productive work.
3. Define Limits
Try to draw the line and permit only what is acceptable. Let negative people know when they cross their limits. Take proactive steps by limiting your activities with them that provoke their negative behavior.
4. Take Responsibility
Blaming a negative person will only harm you. Instead of finding a solution, you will fall into the trap of a victim mentality. Trying to control a negative person will not help you. Since you can’t control others but you can control your reactions.
By taking responsibility for your behavior you will gain the power to control your thoughts, and your actions will be redirected in your favor.
5. Counter Attack With Positivity
Few people talk about negative things because they know that they can disturb you. The best way to deal with such negative-minded people is to counterattack their negative ideas with a positive one.
For e.g: While eating if they say, “The taste of the food is not good”. Try to counter them by saying, “I know but it’s healthy.”
Slowly they will realize that nothing is working and they will calm down.
6. Don’t Take Them Seriously
Never take them seriously because their negative talks will make you increase your stress level.
7. Separate Yourself
Try to maintain a distance from them if they are your distant relative or a friend. When you meet them occasionally try not to get trapped in their negative talks.
8. Try to Look for the Positive
You may find lots of negativity in a negative person. Avoiding it try to look at their positive side. I know it will not change their negative attitude but this will help you to deal with your negative thoughts about them.
9. Be Honest
Tell them to their face how much their negative talk disturbs you mentally. I know this idea will not work every time. Sometimes telling the truth will open the eyes of other people and they come face to face with reality.
10. Avoid Arguements
They might insult or hurt you, and never try to listen to your side of the story. Negative people hardly agree with you. So it’s better not to get into an argument with them. Still, if they bother you tell them the truth to their face and walk away.
11. Spend More Time With Positive People
Whenever you feel stressed around negative people, seek help from the positive ones around you. Negative people will suck your energy, while positive people will raise your energy meter.
5 Best Books That Will Help You Stay Positive
Books are the most helpful resource that will help you to stay positive and work for your self-improvement. Here, are the 5 best books that will help you to stay positive in stressful situations.
1. 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do by Amy Morin
As the title suggests the Author Amy Morin shares 13 habits of mentally strong people. As an author, she is a psychotherapist and she has gone through a series of losses. This amazing book is a result of her extensive research and study on mentally strong people. Adapting to these 13 wonderful habits will make you a mentally strong person.
2. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
This book is written in easy language, filled with lots of anecdotes, and stories. The author Ruiz after escaping from a near-fatal accident came back to live with his mother and started his spiritual journey. He established himself as a thought leader of Toltec wisdom. A philosophy that teaches you to unlearn all the old beliefs and expectations, and the agreements that show you the way to happiness and freedom. The four agreements mentioned in the book are easy to understand and simple to follow.
3. “Don’t Believe Everything You Think” by Joseph Nguyen
This amazing short-read book by Joseph Nguyen will help you change your thought process about life. The book will clear your concept of thought and thinking. How negative emotions create thinking that sucks out our whole energy. He also explained a few easy ways, in short, that will help you to deal with overthinking.
4. What to say when you talk to Yourself by Shad Helmstetter
This is an amazing book that will make you aware of the power of self-talk. Most of the time we look outside for motivation. Fortunately, this motivation is inside all of us and we can use it to achieve success and happiness. By using the self-talk technique anyone can fight all the negativity and problems of life.
5. Manifest: 7 Steps to Living Best of Life book by Roxie Nafousi
This is a manifestation book. In this book, the author Roxie Nfousi shares her own journey of manifestation. She shares her struggles and the way she fights the negative habits that were hindering her happiness.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to survive living with a negative family member?
Walking away or not spending time is not a good solution to this problem. Instead of that try to understand the reason for their negativity. Try to deal with them calmly. At times it seems difficult but slowly with time things will start to improve.
How to shut down a negative person?
Don’t judge anything. Avoid getting into any arguments or discussions with them. Whenever you feel that their negativity is affecting you just cut off from them. Many people are leaving social media, to save themselves from negativity.
Why is it good to stay positive?
Sometimes it is not possible to stay positive. A positive attitude will help you to cope better in stressful situations and reduces the harmful effects of stress on your mental and physical health
What should I do to stay positive all the time?
Remember how hard we try, the negative people will disturb your energy levels. It’s not compulsory to be around them all the time. You can cut off from them anytime. In the end, your freedom and happiness are in your hands.
What do you do when surrounded by negative people you can’t avoid?
Try to listen to them with full attention without any judgment. Create an opportunity to shift their attention from problem mode to solution mode.
Conclusion
Decide that you are not going to allow negative people to waste your time, energy, and power. Instead, bring back your focus on doing things that fill you with positive energy. These could be self-care, books, exercise, meeting friends, etc. Try doing these frequently whenever negative people or even their thoughts are draining their energy. Always keep your full attention on yourself to become the best version.
Here, I have shared the 11 best ways to deal with a negative person.
How do you deal with a negative person?
Do share with me in the comment box.