Dealing With Negative People

We all have a friend, a co-worker or know someone in your family who are always negative and aren’t the most enjoyable people to be around. Negative people can be real downers in any conversation. No matter what you say, they have a way of spinning things in a negative direction. Some negative people can be so negative that it feels draining just being around them. You may even feel depressed because of their constant negativity ----- of course, this isn't good for your health and well being.

People who are negative are known as ‘energy vampires’ ---- they unknowingly get pleasure by sucking the energy out of others. I can never understand why people would spend their entire life giving off negative energy or making others feel unhappy ----- there must be something missing in their life, I always say. People who are constantly negative are just bitter.....sorry. Sadly, they will take this bitterness and negative behaviour to their grave.

I won’t give a story, but I’ve dealt with a fair share of negative people in my life. However, I have learnt ways to avoid being around these kinds of people. I often deal with negativity on-and-off in my life whether its at work or around family or friend. Rather than being affected by others’ negative energy, I’m now able to consciously deal with it. There are many ways you can choose to deal with negative people in your life, but here are my top 5 tips you can try:

1. Reduce contact or totally avoid them
2. Don’t get into an argument.
3. Stick to light topics - talk about the weather, you can't go wrong
4. Ignore their negative comments ---- this is something I have really learnt to do....just smile
5. Be responsible for your reaction

Sherldine Tomlinson, MSc, R.Kin