5 Ways to Protect Yourself From Negative People

Anyone can be effected by lower energies, especially during times of high-stress and transition. Sometimes we attract, receive and absorb lower energies from people or in our environment. This is part of the game and going through those experiences help us expand as individuals and souls. Here are 5 tips to deal with negative people in your life:

1. Reduce contact with them / Avoid them

If all else fails, reduce contact with them or avoid them altogether. If it’s a good friend, let him/her know of the severity of the issue and work it out where possible. It’s not healthy to spend too much time with people who drain you. Your time is precious, so spend it with people who have positive effects on you.

2.  Respond mindfully – don’t just react.

A reaction is a hot, thoughtless, in-the-moment eruption of emotion that’s usually driven by your ego (as human beings, we’re more likely to react when we’re disconnected from our logical mind).  It might last just a split second before your intuition kicks in and offers some perspective, or it might take over to the point that you act on it.  When you feel angry or flustered after dealing with a negative person, that’s a sign you’ve reacted rather than responded mindfully.

3.  Introduce lighter topics of discussion.

Some people’s negative attitudes are triggered by specific, seemingly harmless topics.  For example, one of my friends turns into a very toxic self-victimizer whenever we talk about her job.  No matter what I say, she’ll complain about everything related to her job, and when I try to interject with positive comments, she just rolls right over them with more negativity.  Obviously this becomes quite a conversation dampener.

4. Don’t get into an argument

One of the most important things I learned is not to debate with a negative person. A negative person likely has very staunch views and isn’t going to change that just because of what you said. Whatever you say, he/she can find 10 different reasons to back up his/her viewpoint. The discussion will just swirl into more negativity, and you pull yourself down in the process. You can give constructive comments, and if the person rebutts with no signs of backing down, don’t engage further.

5.  Maintain a level of emotional detachment from other people’s opinions of you.

Maintaining a level of emotional detachment is vital for keeping stress at a distance.  Not allowing negative people (or anyone for that matter) to put the weight of their inadequacies on your back is vital to your emotional health and happiness.  It all comes down to how you value yourself, and thus believe in yourself.