Key Takeaways
- Negative people constantly find negativity in different aspects of their life. They are very afraid and insecure about the future.
- They always expect the worst from the people or the situation.
- If you have any negative people around you they can influence your thoughts and your attitude towards life, no matter how positive you are.
- Maintaining a safe distance from such negative people can become difficult sometimes. But there are ways to deal with them and add positivity in life.
- Certain therapies like Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioral therapy, or Behavioral therapy can help you to deal with your negativity and find a solution to your problem.
When you are surrounded by some negative thoughts or negative emotions they can absorb your positivity and make you sad and insecure.
If you are wondering how to deal with negative people in your life this article is just for you.
You need to find out some unique ways to deal with negative people whom you can not eliminate from your life.
Negativity always carries a cry for help from other people. Negative people need compassion and understanding from their close people who can help them to walk towards the positivity of the world.
It is safer to keep yourself surrounded with positivity and happiness but sometimes it is inevitable to avoid negative people entirely from your personal and professional life.
You need to make your thought process and your emotions stronger so that these people can not influence you in any way.
How to deal with negative people
The best way to deal with negative people is to maintain a safe distance from them. Sometimes, it is hard to stay away from them if they are really close to you.
In this case, you should follow some specific methods to maintain the balance.
You can give them some guidance or some ideas without getting involved personally in their problems.
Try not to judge them without understanding their thoughts and the reasons behind them.
Introduce as much positivity as you can. Share positive thoughts, read something good, and motivating. Have some fun together.
Happiness can always lead you to some positive thoughts and a positive attitude in life.
Who are negative people and how they can affect you
Negative people are those people who always find negativity in almost everything in their life.
If you are with someone like that for a long time they can really influence your thoughts and behavior too.
We all have some overbearing and negative people in our life. They often get frustrated and anxious if something does not go according to their plan.
If someone is taking out their frustration on you it can affect you negatively too. Everyone has a tendency to adopt the mood of the people around them.
If you are around someone who is sad and full of negative thoughts and you are realizing that the mood is affecting you too, it is better to maintain your distance from that person.
How to deal with negative family members or negative friends
1. Increase your distance
If someone you know is having certain negative thoughts and you are confused about what to do in that situation do not stress at all.
You are not responsible for their behavioral pattern or their thought process.
Do not think of yourself as the reason for their frustration. You have enough in your life to think about.
If their behavior or their frustration is causing any trouble in your mind or your life it is better to maintain a distance from them.
2. Respond calmly
Sometimes talking to someone negatively can get very intense and complicated because of your emotions.
You need to learn more about your emotions and control them so that you do not show any negative emotions while talking to someone negatively.
Try not to get your anger in the way. Improve your behavior, control your frustration or anger. Always talk to a person in a way you expect them to talk to you in any situation.
If they are talking about something that you are not comfortable talking about, avoid the topic or walk away with some excuse.
Control your anger and calm yourself before responding to people who are negative. Behaving aggressively will not be of any help to anyone.
It will create a conflict and will only make things worse.
3. Avoid any blame game
Blaming the people who are negative will not be effective at all.
Sometimes when someone around you is behaving negatively you can get frustrated too and start blaming them for behaving a certain way.
You need to be empathetic to that person and show some compassion to them. There is nothing to blame because that person is not doing it intentionally.
Try to be there for them if they are really close to you or you can avoid them entirely.
4. Set boundaries
Set some strict boundaries and do not let anyone cross that no matter how close that person is. Try to make everyone understand in your own way to stop before crossing the line.
It will make things easier for both of you.
No matter what the situation is you need to fix your time and energy that no one can cross. Otherwise, people can take advantage of you and take things for granted.
You need to make everyone understand the limit of your contribution to the solution of their problems.
5. Try to find some positives
Everyone has some positivity hidden somewhere in their mind no matter how negative that person is.
Try to find those hidden thoughts or feelings and highlight them. It will help these people to believe in themselves and develop more positive thoughts.
Try to find out the things that fuel these people with positive energy. Watch some positive movies and suggest some positive books to read. You can teach them some exercise to refresh their minds.
You can apply these methods to yourself too whenever you feel negative or you feel someone else is influencing your thoughts negatively.
6. Do not get involved with them too much
Try not to get involved too much in their problems. If someone you know is really negative about several things and having some serious trouble in their life.
Besides, you really can not stay away from them, so try to help them from a distance. Do not get involved personally.
It will make things more difficult for you and them as well. Getting involved will only cause stress and anxiety in your life too and will impact your mental health negatively.
7. Do not try to solve their problem
If someone very close to you is very negative and having some trouble in his/ her life, try to provide them with some good advice or some guidance to walk on the right path to solve their problem.
Do not try to solve their problems all by yourself. Let them do it on their own. It will help them to work on their issues and improve themselves.
8. Think more talk less
When you are talking to someone negative and you do not know what to do and what to talk about you can take your time and think carefully.
Think about the topics that can be fun discussing for both of you.
You can also think and try to find out the possible reasons behind certain behavior of the person you are talking to.
Pay attention to what they are saying. It will help you to understand the core of the problem and do something about it.
Thinking before talking about something can always give you certain benefits in life.
9. Take a break
If you are tired of so much negativity coming from someone you are talking to, you can take a break.
Taking a break in between some long conversations can give you enough time to relax your mind. You will get some time to think of a new perspective.
Taking a break sometimes can reduce the influence a negative person has on you. When you are talking to someone negative for a long time, they will have a certain negative influence on you.
Their determination of negativity will force you to think from a negative angle.
Taking a break from that conversation and thinking about the positives you know and you feel will help you to eliminate the negative influence and boost your positivity.
10. Do not judge
When you are talking to someone negatively do not ever judge that person before knowing the underlying reasons behind his/ her thoughts.
If you judge someone you are talking to negatively it will reflect through your behavior and create a conflict between you two.
Try to hold your judgment and listen first before making any comment about the person you are talking to.
It will help you to understand the negative people and your ability to deal with those people will increase with these practices.
11. Do not take everything personally
When you are talking to someone negative you may find some comments very offensive and personal. Do not take those words personally before understanding their point of view.
It is possible that they do not even realize that their words are hurting your feelings.
They are saying those things from a different perspective for some other reasons and they are unable to understand your part in that.
If you start taking everything they say personally it will create a huge conflict and complications in your relationship with that person.
12. Do not give any negative reaction instantly
Try not to give any reaction instantly while talking to someone negatively. Your reaction can sometimes affect that person more negatively.
It is better to act positively than give any particular reaction to their words.
Try to help them to see things from a different positive angle. This will help everyone to boost their positivity and work on their negativity.
You can also remind them of something good that they have done in their life.
13. Try to emphasize
Whenever negative people feel low or sad it is no use to try to cheer them on. If you ask them to calm down whenever they are anxious or stressed it will never affect them.
They need someone in their life who will listen to what they have to say.
Give them some time and let them talk. Try to empathize with them and with their issues.
Pay more attention to their lifestyle and try to understand their condition and their mindset.
They may have several complicated situations going on in their life and if you try to listen and understand their thoughts it will help them to open up and express their hidden emotions.
14. Find out the things that can make them happy
Several things can make someone happy and you need to find out those things if you really want to help someone negatively.
Making them happy with different things will boost their mental health and increase their confidence.
Happiness is something that can eliminate all the negativity you have and boost up your positive mind.
If you are letting that person do something he/ she likes that can create more positive energy and take out all the negatives.
15. Talk to them
If you know someone who is negative try to talk to them and find out what are the reasons behind their thoughts and their behavior.
It will help them to relax a bit and it will also help him/ her to increase their ability and solve their problems.
16. Understand what they are unable to express
Sometimes negative people are unable to express their true insecurities and true emotions. Try to understand their problems if you really want to help them in some way.
Understand how they actually feel about different things in life.
Once you are able to identify the reason behind their issues it will be easier to find a solution to their problem and improve their thought process and their behavior.
There may be some past experiences that are responsible for this negativity and affecting their personal and professional life.
17. Have some fun together
Having fun is always very important for anyone in this world.
If you are close to some negative people and you want to spend a good time together, listen to some music, play some fun games and try to do something fun and enjoy your time.
Sometimes they feel out of control and they need someone to take the initiative.
Suggest something fun for both of you and you both will be able to spend an amazing time with each other that can help you to feel positive.
18. Take charge
Negative people are often not very comfortable with taking charge. They feel insecure and confused while making a choice about something.
They want someone else to take care of everything at some point.
You can take the charge and plan something that can be pleasurable for both of you. It will improve your bond and help you to understand him/ her in a better way.
You can also guide them in some new direction by making some decisions about several things.
When you are involved in a long communication with that person try to take charge and lead the conversation.
Introduce new topics to your discussion. It will make your communication more interesting and help them to relax a bit.
19. Bring light
Negative people are always sad and they always give up hope whenever they are in some complicated situation.
It is hard for them to find inspiration and enthusiasm while doing something in their life.
You can bring some light to their life by giving them some hope and positive thoughts about the future.
Encourage them to take risks and explore different areas in life and refrain them from thinking about the negative outcomes.
How to deal with negative people at work
We all have certain negative people at our workplace whom you can not eliminate from your life. Here we are going to discuss certain ways which will help you to deal with these people.
20. Be compassionate
If you have some negative coworkers, your compassion should reflect when you are talking to them. Do not talk about their negativity or how it is affecting their life randomly.
Avoid lecturing them about any possible reasons or any factors behind their negative approach.
This kind of discussion will make them more conscious about their behavior and these criticisms will increase their negative thoughts and negative feelings.
21. Act maturely
Whenever you are talking to a negative person you need to increase your maturity level. You need to think and behave positively first if you really want to influence them.
Sometimes when you are with someone negative there is a high chance that their negativity may affect you too. You need to stick to your points and thoughts.
If you are full of positive thoughts then it will be easier for you to influence them and they will also get inspired by the reflection of your positivity in your behavior.
22. Take your own responsibility
In an office, people often share their responsibilities. When you are close to any colleague you both will tend to help each other to fulfill each other’s responsibilities.
If you know someone really negative in your office with whom you share a good bond, you need to understand their perspective to help them.
Take your own responsibility and try to avoid sharing responsibilities with that person as much as possible and motivate them to do the same.
Sharing your responsibilities with them can make them more anxious and stressed. Their negative thoughts can affect your work too and negatively affect your relationship with them.
23. Limit the time
People generally stay in their workplace for a limited time but some of the colleagues can become good friends on a personal level.
You need to limit the time you spend with your colleagues who are extremely negative.
You can not avoid them entirely as you work in the same place but what you can do is avoid spending any extra time with them without absolute necessity.
24. Talk about a solution
Try to avoid any discussion or any conversation that involves their problems. Do not try to point out the reason behind their problem; it can make the situation more intense.
Talk about different solutions that can help them to overcome their issues.
Talking about probable solutions will help them to find hope and think positively and this way you will be able to avoid any negative influence.
25. Maintain the right relationship
Avoid developing any personal relationship with any negative person at your workplace.
Try to keep things as professional as you can and avoid any sort of emotional connection which is not needed at this moment.
This will help you to keep a certain distance and you will not get over-involved in certain things which can affect you negatively.
How to deal with people’s negative comments
You will hear several negative comments in every step of your life. Do not let that comment affect your confidence level and your peace.
26. Speak up for yourself
If someone is giving you any negative comment about something in your life you need to speak up for yourself. Do not keep quiet and give your opinion.
Speak out loud from your heart and express your thoughts without any fear of getting judged by someone who is not very important in your life.
Whenever someone is trying to hurt you or saying something wrong to you, stand up for yourself and do not let the other person make you feel inferior.
27. Do not pretend to be okay with it
If someone is influencing you negatively or giving any wrong judgment, do not stay quiet and pretend to be okay with everything around you.
Express your disagreement and oppose their comments.
You need to tell them about what you actually feel about their comments and their thoughts.
If you stay quiet and pretend to be okay it will increase their negative comments and will give them a huge satisfaction.
28. Do not get involved in any conflict
If you are not ready to oppose their comments and stand up for yourself, yet you need more time then you can avoid what they are saying.
Do not get involved in any conflict with anyone.
Engaging in any sort of conflict will need you to speak up and express your thoughts and true feelings.
If you feel that you do not want to be a part of something like this it is better to work silently and avoid talking to these people who are negative.
29. Change the subject
When you are ready to speak up for yourself but you know that will not be of any use it is better to change the topic.
Especially when you are talking to someone who is commenting negatively about something.
Sometimes the people you are talking to are not worth your time and effort about certain topics. On the other hand, you can not avoid that person entirely.
In this situation, you should change the subject and talk about something else about which you may share similar comments.
Therapies to deal with negativity
If you know someone negative and you think their negativity is affecting you too, you can always take the help of any psychological therapy methods.
You can visit a therapist and explore the solution to all your problems.
If you know someone who is negative and who is trying to improve you can suggest them too.
Different therapy methods with proper guidance can really help you to resolve all your negative thoughts and improve your positivity.
Mindfulness
According to some studies, mindfulness can help you to reach the root of your negative thoughts and can help you to understand your thoughts in a better way.
Once you have a better understanding of your thoughts and behavior it will be easier for you to work on them.
Behavioral therapy
Behavioral therapy is a type of talk therapy that can help you to reinforce your positive thoughts and eliminate your negative thoughts and behavior with proper guidance.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of talk therapy where you can resolve your issues while talking to your therapist in a therapeutic setting.
This can help you to identify your problems and replace your negative thoughts or behavior with some realistic and positive ones.
Exercise and medication
Exercises and meditation can always help you to relax and clear your mind. You can do any exercise that you like.
It can reduce your anxiety level and help you to spend some calm and peaceful time with yourself.
Why are people so negative?
There are several possible reasons behind every negative person who does not know how to increase their positivity.
If someone has experienced any trauma in their life that can create a huge level of negativity in someone and affect their thoughts and behavior.
Some other people can also be responsible for their negative behavior. If they have never been appreciated by anyone in their life it can create certain negative feelings about themselves.
If someone has discouraged them continuously in different areas of their life this can also create negative thoughts about the environment and can influence their behavior too.
How to identify negative people
Certain characteristics can differentiate a negative person from other people. Here we are going to point out those characteristics and describe them.
1. Always complaining
You will find people with negativity always complaining about different things in their life.
They whine about so many things and they almost believe that the whole world is planning something bad for them.
They are not at all satisfied with anything in their life and they have so many complaints about the people they know and about the environment.
They are unable to look at the bigger picture and take a step back to understand it. They do not pay much attention to hard work either.
2. Not happy with the world
Negative people do not find anything good in the world. They are always unhappy and sad about everything. They believe that there is nothing in this world to be happy about.
These people do not believe in any miracles and do not expect anything positive or good from anyone or the environment.
3. Always the victim
Negative people always think of themselves as the victim.
They believe that someone is trying to harm them or someone has done something wrong with them for their own benefit. Someone is using them. They will never trust anyone in their life.
4. Expect the worse
These people do not ever expect something good from anything or anyone. They always think that everything is going to turn out bad and they will experience something worse in their life.
They feel an urge to protect themself from everything around them all the time for some reason.
5. Never positive
You will never find them saying something positive about someone or something uncertain. They will never expect anything good or positive from their future even if there are multiple possibilities.
6. Easily offended
These people are easily offended by anything in their life.
Even if you say something as a joke or do something just as a prank or for some fun there is a high chance that they will take it seriously and get hurt.
Negative people are extremely sensitive and easily affected by anything in their life.
They will never accept any criticism positively. They will always find them as an insult and get offended.
7. Think everyone else is wrong
They will always think that everyone is saying something wrong. Negative people never believe someone other than themselves.
They think that only they are right about everything in their life. Every other person is either manipulating them or does not know the truth.
No matter what their relatives, friends, or colleagues are saying, they only think of themself as the most intelligent person around other people.
These people are generally unable to accept their faults about anything.
8. Rarely loving
Negative people always search for negative things in other people around them. They maintain a distance from everyone around them as they do not trust anyone and feel a need for protection from everything in this world.
Negative people can not see many positives or good things in someone which creates a negative impression and creates a wall in between.
If you are not trusting someone or if you are unable to find something good about that person it is very difficult to get any love or support from that person.
Their thoughts and behavior are the reason that they do not revive much love and respect from anybody around them.
9. Attitude problems
Their attitude and their behavior can be really problematic for other people.
If someone is always talking about something bad or negative, he/ she does not have any hope for anything good in their life; other people may not want to spend time with them.
Their negative thoughts and their negative attitude about almost everything can really bother and influence everyone who is talking to them or spending time with them.
Their attitude can create a huge negative impression and affect their reputation negatively which can push other people away from their life.
10. Always interested in bad news
People who are negative will always be ready to listen to something negative from anybody in this world.
The topic of the discussion or the company does not matter to them much if it is about something negative or bad.
Whenever they hear someone talking about some bad news they will be really interested and ask a lot of questions about that.
They will never show that much interest in anything good or positive in any case.
Negative people will also be really excited while sharing their negative experiences with other people.
They will be really satisfied whenever they get a chance to narrate all their struggles and negative experiences.
11. Take all the energy
Negative people need extra care and comfort and they can take up all your time and energy.
If you know someone negative and that person is close to you, you will spend almost your whole time taking care of them.
In the end, you will have no energy left to do something for yourself.
Negative people are not at all enthusiastic or energetic in nature. They do not get much excited about anything in their life.
They tend to hold themself back from anything energetic as they are always worried about almost everything in the world.
12. Unable to achieve something big
You will find so many people who have achieved very little in their life but it does not mean that they all are negative.
Though all the negative people are unable to do something big or achieve something big in their life.
They are too occupied with worrying about different things and too afraid to take any big step in their life.
These people are not ready to take any risk that can help them to reach their goal and get something big.
Negative people are not open to any criticism which can hold them back from developing and improving themself.
They are not smart enough or strong enough to get out of their comfort zone and do something unexpected.
Conclusion
Whenever you are talking to someone you need to be careful to understand if that person is negative or not.
If you are not comfortable around any negative people you can avoid them as much as possible.
When you are close to someone who is negative or you are unable to avoid them you can follow the methods from this article to deal with them.
It will make your journey easier with negative people and it will also help you to maintain positivity in yourself.
Article Sources
1. https://theblissfulmind.com/how-to-deal-with-negative-people/
2. https://www.inc.com/peter-economy/5-ways-to-deal-with-the-really-negative-people-in-your-life.html
3. https://tinybuddha.com/blog/how-to-deal-with-negative-people-or-difficult-people/
4. https://www.verywellmind.com/ask-a-therapist-how-do-i-deal-with-negative-people-in-my-life-5120880
