Negative people can cause problems for us on an individual level. Perhaps it’s that vendor who causes you to grit your teeth. Or maybe it’s a colleague whom you avoid at all costs. It’s important to recognize when these negative individuals intrude in your life in an unwelcome manner. Here are five strategies to take back your power and reduce the detrimental impact negative people have in your life:
Guard Your Time
- Take back your power by limiting the amount of time you spend talking about, thinking about, and worrying about unpleasant people
- Make a conscious effort to choose your attitude
- Negative people often influence what we think about
- Pay attention to how your thoughts change when you are faced with negative people
Choose to Behave Productively
- Although it can be tempting to say, “She makes me so mad,” blaming others for your conduct gives them more power
- When you act in a manner that isn’t consistent with your usual behaviour, accept responsibility for it
- Commit to controlling your emotional reactivity and staying true to your values, despite your circumstances
Seek out positive people
- Just like negative people can rub off on you, a positive person can brighten your spirit
- Identify the positive people in your life and schedule time with them
- Decide that you’re not going to allow negative people to determine how you think, feel, and behave
Choose Your Attitude
- Negative people’s pessimistic outlooks and gloomy attitudes can decrease our motivation and change the way we feel
- But allowing a negative person to dictate your emotions gives them too much power in your life
- Make a conscious effort to choose your attitude
- Create a mantra, such as, “I’m going to stay positive today despite the people around me”
Refocus Your Thoughts
- Pay attention to how your thoughts change when you’re faced with negative people
- The more time you spend dreading, fretting, worrying, and rehashing, the less time you’ll have to devote to more productive things
- Make a conscious effort to reduce the amount of mental energy you expend on negative people
