How to Deal With Difficult People
Difficult People
Difficult people are everywhere. Perhaps you too can be difficult. Many people go through periods where they don't act their best. If you want to maintain a relationship with a difficult person, you will need to develop some coping and negotiation strategies.
1
Choose your
battles wisely
When butting heads with a difficult person, decide when it is worth your efforts to discuss the problem. Not every fight needs to be fought. The sooner you realize this the happier your life will become. Ideally, you and this difficult person would be able to set aside your differences and compromise. Sometimes, this is impossible.
Ask yourself if the situation is causing you enough distress that it must be addressed.
Consider your relationship to this person. If it's your boss or another authority figure, you have to accept some things you don't like (unless it's abusive behavior). If it's a friend or family member, think about whether choosing not to engage is enabling bad behavior or simply saving you time and grief.
2
Take a deep breath before responding to collect your thoughts and calm your emotions. If your conflict is happening via email or texting, try to avoid sending digital text messages when upset. Take a bit of time to let your stress level decrease. Then you will be able to approach the person more reasonably.
If possible, discuss your issue somewhere neutral or in a place with an activity. For example, you could talk while walking. This can limit negative face-to-face interactions.
for a moment