9 Stress-Relieving Techniques Smart People Use To Handle Difficult People Effectively

The behavior of difficult people can have a dangerous impact on your health. If you don’t know how to properly control and deal with these highly unpleasant, negative, crazy, wicked, and toxic people, your life will become extremely stressful and turn into a chaos.

It seems that we can’t protect ourselves from the harmful influence of difficult people because they’re everywhere around us. Yet, smart people do know how to deal with them successfully. Why is this so? Smart people have a high level of emotional intelligence which enables them to effectively control their emotions and reactions, and most importantly, avoid getting stressed. Emotionally intelligent people also know how to properly stay calm and get rid of the things they can’t control when dealing with difficult people.

Here are the 9 stress-relieving techniques smart people use to handle difficult people successfully:

1. They are always aware of their emotions.

Smart people are very good at recognizing both their emotions and those of others. This is what enables them to easily notice when someone is trying to push their buttons. They know that they can come across all sorts of people and therefore they can’t allow being affected by the things others say or do to them. They’re thick-skinned and when they detect someone’s behavior as a toxic and harmful threat to their mental health, they either ignore that person or just put on a smile and leave.

2. They establish limits.

Imagine the following situation: someone who you know is a hell of a complainer comes to you and starts talking about their problems and how miserable their life is. Would you rather distance yourself from them or allow yourself to be drawn into their harmful trap? Smart people always go with the first option. They never allow to be available to difficult people for 24/7.

3. They stay above difficult situations.

The behavior of difficult people defies logic. If you try playing their wicked games, you’ll only get more entangled in their toxic trap. Instead of responding to their lies, provocations, and constant complaints, emotionally intelligent people distance themselves from them. They treat a difficult person as if the thing they’re talking about is a total nonsense and doesn’t deserve any attention.

4. They only focus on solutions, not problems.

Instead of filling themselves with negative energy and experiencing needles stress by thinking about how unbearable and toxic difficult people are, smart people concentrate on finding the best way to deal with them effectively. By focusing your attention on actions that can ease or better the unpleasant and difficult circumstances, you’ll gain total control over the situation and avoid getting stressed out.

5. They set boundaries.

Just because you’re constantly surrounded by people, like your family, friends, or colleagues, it doesn’t mean you have to engage with all of them. Smart people always make the right decision about who they engage with. They know that they don’t have to tolerate or interact with every person that they know or with someone they meet for the first time. So, if a person who you know is rather challenging (in a negative way, of course), and wants to get into a conversation with you, distance yourself from them and save yourself from unnecessary stress.

6. They avoid negative self-talk at all costs.

You can’t avoid the negative words and actions of difficult people. And sometimes, this negativity can affect you, depending on how close and important the other person is to you. Yet, smart people know that they shouldn’t pay attention to it. Most importantly, they’re well aware that if they rely on negative self-talk, this will only worsen the situation and upset them even more. Negative self-talk is absurd and creates unnecessary tension and stress.

7. They forgive but never forget.

Emotionally intelligent people learn from their mistakes. They have the mental strength to forgive the person who has done them wrong but they never forget. In this way, they avoid getting fooled again by the same person. By keeping in mind what someone has done to them, they are able to save themselves from potential future pain.

8. They rely on their support.

Smart people know that serious issues, such as handling a difficult person, require asking for someone else’s support. They’re aware that a person whom they trust and feel comfortable with can help them look at a challenging person from a different perspective and offer them a better insight into the problem in general. So, if you know someone you can trust, be that a family member, a friend, a colleague, or your partner, don’t hesitate to seek their help and support.

9. They know that getting enough sleep is important.

By getting enough sleep, emotionally intelligent people get more focused, alert, and easily reduce their stress levels. Regular and enough sleep enables them to easily get rid of the negative energy of a difficult person as they become more positive, resourceful and able to see things more clearly.