Think about it howsoever you may please, but the truth is that nobody likes having a negative person in their lives. After all, who would want to listen to complaints all day long, along with comments that can practically drain all the positive energy from your mind? Such an attitude is bad because not only does it affect that person, but also you. So the best thing to do is help them achieve a more positive attitude. However, if the said person is not very close to you, then maybe avoiding them altogether may not really be that bad of an idea.

How to Deal With Negative People

If you’re wondering how you can deal with negative people in your life without being too obvious or rude, don’t worry. Just follow these simple 15 methods.

1. Relax and Keep Calm

Remember, it’s not you but them. So let them say whatever they’re saying and don’t take their words too personally. Keep a smiling face and maintain a good posture, which help release chemicals like serotonin and dopamine that help you feel better.

2. Find Ways to Make a Positive Change

You can do some sweet things to those negative persons in your life that you love. The sweet tasks can be something as simple as a lunch date, a simple walk, breakfast in bed or a gift card to an all-day spa parlor. These actions flood positivity into the other person’s life, making them feel good and think about good things for a change. And just do all these things without giving them a lecture!

Sometimes, acts like walks or breakfast in bed are not enough. You need to understand the root cause of the behavior of that negative person. Try to reach out and talk about what’s bothering them at the moment. Be calm, if at all possible, and think about how you can help them in your own way.

3. Help Them Accept Negative Situations

Sometimes, situations are just out of control of people, like a heavy downpour which ruins your favorite shoes. So instead of listening to your friend complaining about the rain and how much money it cost her (by ruining her shoes), just tell her that there was no way for her to know in advance about the sudden downpour. Tell her she’s lucky she didn’t lose her expensive handbag or dress to the rains as well. This will cheer her up!

4. Develop a Support System

This is important when you’re learning how to deal with negative people. Supportive people around you keep you positive. Not only that, but in situations where you don’t know how to deal with a person’s negativity, your friends and family come to your rescue immediately both physically and emotionally! Their objective approach can also provide you with a fresh perspective.

5. Never Engage

It’s difficult to not retaliate when a person starts spreading their negativity, but you must try it nonetheless. Remember: Making a conscious decision to not engage does not mean you’re ignoring them. It means that you’re mature enough to maintain an emotional distance from all the negativity around you.

6. Never Lecture Them

The best of us are terrible at accepting criticism, no matter how constructive it is. So how exactly do you think a negative person will respond to lecture? Obviously, not well. In fact, lecturing can backfire because it’ll make you appear as if you’re against that person by not agreeing to what they think.

7. Stand Your Ground

This is an important point when it comes to how to deal with negative people. Some negative people are extremely cunning, shrewd and manipulative and will take pains to make you feel uncomfortable. In such a situation, it’s best to call them out and confront them. Learn to say “no” and hold your ground when such a situation arises.

8. Avoid Over-Analyzing

The fact remains that negative people are seldom rational. Even a gorgeous sunny day is a day in hell for these people. You can think and over think as much as you want about their words but you’ll just be wasting your time and energy. Hear what they have to say, don’t react and move on to your next chore.

9. Change the Topic

For example, if your friend complains about his boss who shouted at him for coming in late, then shift focus to something better in his life, like the new gaming console he bought. Ask him how many games he’s played, which his favorite games are, etc. If nothing strikes you in the heat of the moment, discuss something neutral such as their favorite movie, sport or music icon.

10. Turn a Deaf Ear to Them

You absolutely are not obligated to listen to the naggings of those negative people. They don’t rule your life – you do. You’re your own master and you get to decide who you want to talk to and who you want to avoid. This may sound drastic to some people, but quite honestly, it’s better to sever an infected limb (negative person) than to let it infect the rest of your body (you).

11. Limit the Time You Spend with Them

It’s no secret that your company can easily influence the way you think and behave, so it’s best that you curtail the number of hours, days or even weeks you spend with negative people. You don’t want to end up being the same negative person you want to stay away from, do you?

12. Avoid People Complaining Consistently

Negative people exist only to point out problems but they’ll never offer a solution to those problems. Even if you or someone else shares an opinion or a solution, it will immediately be struck down by them and there’s nothing much you can do about it. The second best solution is to avoid such people altogether.

13. Know When to Leave

If you feel like your conversation is going nowhere, then just excuse yourself and leave. You have every right to remove yourself from a negative situation and that shouldn’t make you feel guilty. Conversely, don’t let your ego trap you in those negative conversations. Remember in these cases peace of your mind is more important.

15. Help to Take Control

Negative people have a terrible habit of blaming everything and everybody instead of accepting their part of the blame. Such people also tend to have poorer emotional well-being than others. So whenever they’re in a good mood, sit down next to them and try to make them see others’ perspectives as objectively as you can. But if you feel the situation is going out of control, just leave.