Negative people exhaust us every day, whether at work or at home. But don’t we know how to avoid them? We’re often too nice and don’t want to hurt their feelings. Here are 5 tips to help you stop being consumed by negative talk.

1 – Choosing yourself

First and foremost, when we are faced with negative people, we are more often than not blocked. After all, these people are colleagues, friends, family members… So we can’t physically avoid them. At least, not always.

And yet, if you’re completely honest with yourself, do you do everything you can to avoid them? That is, do you allow yourself to say “no” to these people when you feel that enough is enough and that you need to avoid them?

In fact, chances are you don’t know how to say no, because you don’t dare. You’re far too nice and you’re afraid of hurting these people’s feelings, however negative they may be.

That’s all to your credit, but at some point, you’re going to have to make a choice: these people or you?

Yes, because it’s quite possible that you’re at that point. Indeed, if you’re reading this article, it’s not for nothing. It means that there’s someone, or even several people, who are draining you of energy because of their negativity.

That’s why I wholeheartedly invite you to choose yourself, right now.

Because when you say yes to these negative people, you’re saying no to yourself. But who’s the most important person in your life? Don’t forget, it’s you!

In other words, to avoid negative people, to allow yourself to avoid them more precisely, ask yourself: “Am I choosing this negative person or choosing me?”

Choose yourself!

2 – Speak positively to negative people

When we’re around negative people, we can’t always avoid them, or else we’ll have to break off the relationship, but that’s only possible in love. At work, it’s difficult, and within the family too.

So, when you can no longer avoid them physically, how can you avoid their negativity? Because, yes, it’s possible to listen to negative people without letting them get to you.

But how can we do this?

For that, I invite you to speak positively. When someone tells you the bad news, don’t follow them on the same subject. Instead, talk about the good news.

In fact, we’re often uncomfortable talking about the positive things in our lives, or even about life in general. We’re afraid of sounding egocentric or naive.

But who says we have to hide our happiness and joy? Aren’t you tired of only talking about what’s going wrong in your life?

Aren’t you tired of other people only talking to you about what’s wrong in their lives?

Then lead by example and talk positively!

Try it slowly, start by talking about good news the next time you see someone. Then two and so on.

Give yourself time to make it a habit. Because, when we really listen to each other talk, we can realize how much work we have to do to succeed in speaking positively. (laughs)

3 – Laugh at everything, especially yourself

We don’t realize it, but we’re ruining our lives because we don’t know how to laugh at everything and ourselves.

In fact, we’re too serious and take too many things too seriously.

That’s why there’s so much conflict in our relationships and so many negative people around us.

This is because we can’t let go of things, and we take far too many problems on our shoulders. As a result, life becomes burdensome, even overwhelming.

That’s why it’s essential to learn to laugh at everything and at ourselves, firstly to avoid becoming a negative person ourselves (laughs). Then, to deflect negativity from others.

Make the choice to laugh. Really laugh.

Because, if you take everything so seriously, you’ll be constantly angry, sad and frustrated.

In other words, when faced with a negative person, you can choose to laugh. Not to make fun of them.

Just after your discussion, have a good laugh so you don’t let the negative words creep up on you. What this person thinks about life is none of your business. Don’t make their stories yours.

Just laugh. Find your lightness.

Because your time is limited, don’t waste it thinking about negative things. Especially when they don’t concern you.

4 – Complimenting negative people

If there’s one thing negative people don’t know how to hear and do, it’s compliments.

In other words, if you want to cut short a negative discussion, pay a compliment: on the clothes, the haircut…

It’s magic. Just try it!

Chances are the person will minimize your compliment or even reject it, but it’ll unsettle them enough to give you time to change the subject to something positive.

Again, relax. Laugh!

Because, often, when we consider people to be negative, we comfort ourselves in this judgment. In other words, the more we dread a discussion with them, the more we suffer in their presence.

That’s why I invite you to relax. Are these people negative? That’s not your problem. Just relax.

Negative people at work or at home: 8 tips for avoiding them

5 – Marvel at negative people

Here again, if there’s one thing negative people don’t know how to do, it’s marvel.

That’s why I wholeheartedly invite you to take the time to marvel in their presence: “Look at the sky/bird/tree, it’s beautiful”.

You know, you don’t have to listen to a negative person for hours on end.

You can be polite and ask for news. But afterwards, you can take over the discussion.

In fact, don’t think you’re the victim and the other person is the executioner. In fact, at any moment, you can change the subject or even go elsewhere. (laughs)

Learn more about:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover Negative energies: 3 tips to protect yourself from them
Discover How can I distance myself from toxic people? 7 tips

I recommend this inspiring book on the subject:

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
This novel revolves around two leading characters, Renée, a concierge, and Paloma, a precocious young girl. The story focuses on their observations of the people surrounding their lives, as well as those who might be considered negative or judgmental.
I myself have a copy of this book, which I discovered by chance. At first, I had trouble getting into it. The writing is quite dense, which I eventually found wonderful, but I kept at it and looked forward to reading a “chapter” (often more!) every day, savoring every word and finding it profound and thought-provoking.
Loved it!

Thank you very much for reading this article.

If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself.