No one is immune to negative people. Whether it’s a colleague at work who complains about everything, a friend who is going through a rough patch or a family member who consistently finds something to criticize in others. Whatever the case may be, these interactions can often leave us feeling drained and uninspired. However, it is crucial to remember that we can choose not to let their negativity affect us. In this blog post, I’ll share seven effective ways to staying positive when you’re around negative people.
Be Compassionate but Detached
When you’re around negative people, listen to what they have to say, respond calmly and be compassionate, but also detached.
Empathize with their challenges and try to put yourself in their shoes. That way you can see the situation from their perspective and understand why they’re feeling negative. Maybe they are dealing with a tough personal situation, or maybe they’ve just had a bad day.
By being compassionate, you can show the person that you care about them and help them feel heard and understood.
However, while it’s essential to stay empathetic when around negative people, make sure you don’t absorb their emotions. By staying emotionally detached, you can offer support and understanding without becoming personally involved in their drama. It takes practice, but phrases like “I understand” or “that must be challenging” can go a long way in showing empathy without absorbing their emotions.
What’s the best way to stay emotionally detached? By remaining aware of your emotional state and staying centred within yourself. Remember, it’s okay to care without taking on their negativity.
Stay Calm
Negative people can sometimes get under your skin and cause you to react emotionally. However, it’s important to remain calm and composed in these situations. Responding with anger or frustration will only escalate the situation and make you both feel worse. Instead, take a deep breath, remain centred and respond with kindness and understanding.
Focus On Solutions, Not Problems
When negative people complain or vent, it’s easy to get sucked into their problem. Instead, shift the conversation towards the solution. Ask them what they think they could do to improve the situation. Encouraging them to focus on solutions can help turn some of their negative focus into positive energy.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness can be an excellent tool to help you stay positive when you’re around negative people. By paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, you can become more self-aware and stay focused on the present moment. Practice focusing on your breathing and let go of any negative thoughts that arise. When you become more mindful, you’ll find that other people’s negative comments and attitudes have less impact on your mood and overall well-being.
Keep the Conversation Positive
If you find yourself in a conversation with someone who is being negative, try to steer the conversation in a more positive direction. You don’t have to ignore the person’s concerns or issues, but you can direct the conversation towards solutions or positive outcomes. For example, if your colleague is complaining about a project at work, you could ask them what they think could be done to improve the situation.
Don’t Take Things Personally
Negative people often project their own fears, insecurities and personal issues onto others. When they lash out, it’s important to understand that their negativity has little to do with you. Hence it’s essential not to take their actions or words personally. Remember their negativity reflects their own struggles. Their behavior is more of a reflection of where they’re at and what they’re going through, rather than a reflection of who you are.
Set Clear Boundaries
It is important to set boundaries with negative people to ensure that their negativity does not affect your well-being. Understandably, this can be challenging, especially when the negative person is a close family member, friend, or colleague with whom you interact with regularly. However, you must set your boundaries, and don’t allow negative people to cross them. This means you communicate your limits firmly and kindly. For instance, you can let them know that you will not entertain negative comments about a particular topic or person.
In addition, limiting your exposure to negative people is important for you to avoid getting sucked into their stories and emotions and keep your own energy positive, healthy and in a high vibration.
It’s okay to set boundaries and limit the amount of time you spend with negative people when you feel they are trying to bring you down to their negative, low-vibrational state.
In certain instances, you might even need to step away from the situation or reduce interactions altogether. This does not mean you’re being selfish, it’s about taking care of yourself and your mental and emotional well-being. If someone consistently brings you down, it’s okay to distance yourself from that person. You don’t owe anyone your time or energy, especially if it’s impacting your well-being.
Staying positive around negative people can be a challenge, but it’s important to remember that you are in control of our own emotions, thoughts, and actions. By setting boundaries, practicing mindfulness, staying calm, being compassionate whilst remaining emotionally detached and not taking things personally, you can stay positive and grounded in the face of negativity.
Remember negative people choose to be negative, and you have the power to choose to stay positive in your response to where they’re at. When you keep your mind and heart in a positive state, you can rise above their negativity and maintain your own sense of peace and well-being whilst you’re around them.
So the next time you interact with negative people, remember that their negativity is not your burden to bear. Keep a positive outlook, stay centred and calm. As you maintain your positivity, you spread that energy to others and and help improve the situation for everyone involved.
