Coping Strategies for Interacting with Difficult People

You. Hello, and welcome to another episode of The Traveling Introvert. I'm going to talk about a topic that I feel isn't talked about often enough, and that is dealing with people that you don't particularly like. You don't hate the, but you don't necessarily like them. And we all have these people in our lives that we have to deal with on regular or semiregular basis, but we don't actually like them. And so some people can get really caught up with this and it can end up being a very negative spiral, and you end up saying things and thinking things and it just causes friction. And maybe in the workplace it doesn't work out so well. So I think it's really important that to realize you're not going to like everybody and that's okay.

But that doesn't mean that you can't treat people with sort of respect and humility. So unless you're a yes person or extremely lucky, it's unlikely you get along with everyone that crosses your path. And disliking someone can be difficult if you have to be around them on like a daily or regular basis for important tasks or to live your life. So I want to talk about some strategies that will help you get through the situation easier. So number one is just kind of accept it. You won't like everyone. No matter what you do or like as a person, people will annoy you in some way, shape, or form. These people will always exist.

You won't like everyone you meet, and everyone you meet won't like you. And this is only natural. But identifying it and learning to let go of this idea is a really good start for you to cope with it. And it doesn't make you or the other person terrible if they don't like you or somebody else. We're all human and we cannot be perfect. What you can try and do is highlight what you do like. While you might not like everyone you meet entirely, there'll always be at least one thing that you like about them. Figure out what that one thing is and hone in on it.

Especially if this person you don't like is maybe a coworker or maybe a family member and you have to deal with them on the regular. The more you focus on things that you do like, the easier your day or your interactions with them will become. And use things that you like about that person to get them strapped, to get them talking, and maybe distract them from the habits that irritate you assume positivity and don't get me wrong, this is easier said than done. You don't want to be like a toxically, happy, fake person. But at the same time, it's really useful that when you don't like someone, we kind of seem to always think negatively to start with, right, and imagine that the person is of course going to do something irritating or tend to believe that everything they say is negative or wrong. So instead, practice assuming the opposite or finding something they say as positive. Try to ignore the negative thoughts, as this will only make being around them more difficult and draining. To be honest and as introverts, the whole idea is for us to be very cognizant of how we use our energy.

Also, as humans, we tend to kind of exaggerate a little bit, and we tend to make the person out to be even worse than they are due to negative thoughts and manifesting around this human. So think about positive things they won't change. But you can change how you deal with things and be honest with yourself, because some of the time when you don't like someone, it might have to do with you and not necessarily the other person. Take a moment and think about why you might not like this human. Identify those traits and see if they are genuinely negative or horrible or annoying traits, and then whether it's maybe something else that's rooted in something else, why you might dislike this particular human. And is this particular trait something that all humans do that you don't like? And if not, maybe it's because they do it with something else or there's something else going on. And so it's a point for you to go ahead and reflect. And while you might not like everyone you meet, it doesn't mean that life has to be stressful or draining or even overwhelming while you are around them.

There are many situations in life where you'll be forced to interact with people that you don't like. And that's fine as long as you kind of work with these strategies. You can make these encounters easier to deal with every day and therefore conserve your energy better. So thank you for listening. This is Janice@thecareerintrovert.com helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.