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It’s all too easy to let others’ negative attitudes and pessimistic vibes get to us. And if you’re an empathetic person like me, negativity from others is like a life-sucking force, and can leave us feeling both drained and deflated.
Negativity like this is, unfortunately, something we can’t always predict or see coming. Typically when someone makes a rude or disparaging remark, it’s easy to feel caught off guard and not know how to respond. It’s not until the weight of their words and their bad vibes have soaked in that we fully realize what just happened.
Fortunately, there are ways you can guard yourself against the effects of negativity. Learn how you can more effectively fend off bad vibes from others with these 5 tips.
How to Protect Yourself Against Negativity and Bad Vibes
1. Set boundaries and stick to them. Negative people often tend to wallow in their problems and worries, rather than searching for solutions to them. Consequently, we may feel pressure to listen to these complaints because we don’t want to come off as rude or insensitive. However, its important to set your boundaries before getting sucked into their emotional drama. Set limits and distance yourself when necessary. Negativity is contagious, and you must limit your exposure.
2. Stop overextending yourself. Often when we listen to others’ problems, we end up absorbing their own frustrations and worries, and try to help them find solutions. However, a lot of us (myself included), are guilty of trying to help everyone, often compromising ourselves. I’ve learned that you have to be careful to not overextend yourself when it comes to helping others. It’s ok to give up your time and energy, but make sure the friend you’re helping out does the same for you. Otherwise, people will come to expect your continuous giving, but without ever trying to give back. Relationships are a two-way street, not one-way.
Related: 9 Signs That Your Negative Friend is a Life-Ruiner
3. Put your own happiness first. Negative people and bad vibes are demanding of not only your time and attention, but also your happiness. Though it may not be immediately obvious, their negativity is a slow, persistent drain on our happiness. However, only you can stop this drain by putting yourself first. People are always going to talk about you, judge you, and condemn you-even if it’s just for being happy! Let their judgements roll off your back. Just as they put themselves and their demands first, you have every right to put yourself and your happiness first.
4. Forgive, but don’t forget. While you should always strive to forgive for your own self-healing, don’t forget. Negative people are typically pessimistic people overall, and it’s up to you to remember what they’re capable of. This way you can be assertive and protect yourself in the future.
5. And remember: it’s not all about you. This tip is so much easier said than done, but it’s the pure, raw truth. 99.9% of the time, other people’s negativity and bad vibes just aren’t about you. While it may be hard to convince yourself of this fact when someone throws a rude comment your way, it’s worth it to believe in it. Don’t waste anymore of your life trying to analyze others’ moods or bad vibes. Simply put: it’s just not worth your time or your energy.
