There are people who enjoy causing trouble everywhere they go. They can easily ruin your day and take away your peace. However, this should not always be the case. There are ways you can deal with problematic people without letting them get to you. Have a look at this post to learn ways you can handle the troublemakers in your life. The advice given might not work for everyone, but you can find a helpful tip that applies to your situation.
1. Keep your cool
When faced with a problematic person, you need to keep your cool. Most times, the other person will be unreasonable and having a quick temper will turn you into an easy target. Do not let them draw you into their chaos.
You can try breathing techniques to help you relax. If this does not work, take a walk and move away from the person. This will help you clear your head and you can avoid saying or doing things that you will regret later. It will also help you practice better judgment since you can think better with a clear head. By managing your composure, you will handle the situation in a better manner.
2. Become proactive and not reactive
You need to learn how not to let other people’s actions affect you. You can achieve that by not personalizing everything that happens. For instance, if someone fails to contact you for some time, instead of thinking that the person is avoiding you, you can consider that they are busy.
You can also try putting yourself in the other person’s shoes. At times, stress makes people lash out and you might be the unfortunate victim caught in the crossfire. By understanding what a person is going through, you can be more empathetic. Of course, this does not justify causing trouble for others. However, you can find a better way to address your grievances without accelerating the situation.
3. Let them go
Not all confrontations require a reaction from you. You need to evaluate the situation and see whether it is worth your time. Some people enjoy causing trouble for fun. Your time is priceless and you need to spend it doing things that are important to you.
When faced with confrontations where the other person is a friend or relative, try being diplomatic when interacting with them. If you find yourselves butting heads frequently, you can consider staying away from them unless it is necessary.
If you are on the phone with an unfriendly client, you can hang up and avoid any further confrontations. If the situation is reversed, call another representative to assist you. If it is a colleague at work, you need to evaluate her importance. If they are important to you, you need to exercise patience since they are helping you. However, this does not extend to harassment. If you are subjected to any kind of harassment, you need to report it before it gets out of hand.
4. Deal with the person and the issue separately
In every situation, there is the person and the situation. You need to separate them individually. You need to find a way to address the issue without causing further damage to the person. Attacking the person only accelerates the situation and you are more likely to keep fighting instead of solving the issue.
Understanding the person you are dealing with and talking to them in a calm manner will make them more comfortable opening up to you. Once you are both calm, you can concentrate your energy on solving the problem in a civil manner.
5. Take charge and turn the spotlight around
Difficult people like putting their energy on what they consider to be your insecurities. They will keep reminding you of your inadequacies while trying to trigger a reaction from you. Instead of reacting, you can take charge and turn the spotlight back on them. You can do this by asking questions that are constructive in an attempt to change the subject. This will shift the power back to you making you in charge of the conversation.
You need to have good communication skills when dealing with difficult people. That way, you will be effective in changing the tide without accelerating the situation. You can check out more ways to deal with problematic people on blogs like HuffPost.
