How to Deal with Negative People – 6 Techniques

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When it comes to dealing with pessimistic vibes and situations, the temptation may be to just stay away from negative people, and to try to avoid the negativity altogether.

While it definitely doesn’t hurt to try to steer clear of negative people, this option isn’t always viable or realistic.

We may have negative coworkers that we have to work with on a daily basis.

Or we might have negative family members that we have to see more often than we would like.

Or we may even have friends in our inner circles that are negative and/or have a bad attitude.

Pessimistic people like this may not be readily obvious. Their behaviors may even be subtler, like a complaint here and there, or even more passive aggressive behaviors.

While this may not sound all too bad at first, humans tend to mimic the behaviors and attitudes of those they spend the most time with. Consequently, such negative thinking patterns and traits can actually rub off on us over time without us even knowing. In fact, the effects of negativity can go much further, causing stress, anxiety, lowered self-esteem, and even depression.

This is why it’s crucial to know how to deal with negative people, especially before their negative thoughts become our own and we take on similar attitudes.

It’s not always easy or intuitive to know how to deal with negative people, which is why I’ve come up with 6 techniques to help you hone this skill.

Keep reading to learn how you can deal more effectively with negative people, while also protecting yourself from their negativity.

6 Techniques for Dealing with Negative People

1. Resist the temptation to take it personally. It’s always more than tempting to take someone’s bad attitude as a personal attack, especially when they’re consistently negative and pessimistic. However, taking it personally allows the interaction to become personal, which will completely exacerbate and worsen the situation. Realistically, 99.9% of the time a person’s negativity is not directed at you, but rather at the world – you just happen to be in their firing zone. So do yourself the favor the next time their negativity starts to get you down, and tell yourself it’s not directed at you. Rather, you’re just getting the brunt of their pessimism.

2. Shift the topic from problems to potential solutions. Negative people tend to harp on the problem, rather than focusing on ways to actually deal with them. One way you can protect yourself against their negativity, while also being semi helpful is to suggest possible solutions. Tweak the negative tone of the conservation to a more positive one, and counteract their negativity with a positive attitude.

3. Know that their problems are not yours. When you’re continually exposed to someone who is negative, whether it’s a colleague, a friend, etc., all too often we let our empathy take charge and make their problems our own. Don’t let this happen, though. This will only introduce ourselves to their negative thinking patterns, thereby allowing them to rub off on us. Remind yourself that everyone has their own journey to go through, but a positive attitude can make all the difference. Just because they have made the choice to have a negative attitude on their journey doesn’t mean you should, too.

4. Limit your time with them. The avoidance method may be tempting when it comes to dealing with a negative person, but this isn’t always a feasible option. Instead of trying to avoid them altogether, place severe restrictions on your time spent with them. For instance, if it’s a colleague you have to meet with, schedule your meeting with them back to back with another engagement so that you have to cut your time off with them. This way you can skillfully manage your time with them and keep their negativity to a minimum.

5. Be verbal when it comes to your boundaries. Sometimes we may want to just stay quiet when a negative person goes on a rant and complains about everything under the sun. However, remaining quiet may register as tacit agreement with what they’re saying and/or doing, which will only fuel their fire. If what they’re saying or doing isn’t right and goes against your values, speak up. It could be as simple as, “You may feel that way, but I don’t. Let’s talk about something else.”

6. Radiate positivity. The thing about negativity is that it just doesn’t mix with positivity. And when someone embodies negativity, they’re going to hit a wall when they come up against a positive force. Be the bigger, more powerful force in this scenario, and radiate positivity as much as you can. You’ll actually attract far more positivity into your own life by being this way, making it that much easier to counteract the negativity.