Make Like a Duck and Let it Roll Off Your Back

Look, look at your boss turning beet red, seemingly steaming and about to explode because you were five minutes late to work. Glance at your coworkers muttering under their breath because they don’t understand you and your perspective.

But before you do that, I want you to gaze up at the ceiling and take a deep breath, because dealing with difficult people can make you want to lash out just as they do to you. Never allow yourself to be carried away in a moment of agitation simply because the environment you find yourself in is upsetting or overall infuriating. Take upon yourself one of the healthiest of virtues: think before you speak.Always remember that not everyone can see through your eyes, and though something may seem irrational to you, it may not seem that way to someone else.

I’m not talking about bottling up your emotions or running away with your tail tucked between your legs, but morph your drive into something more positive rather than destructive. Urge yourself to see the world for what it is, an interconnected system of personalities that sometimes clash, and clash they will, for it’s human nature. However, you can always keep the conversational train from derailing if you simply take all things that you can into account. Maybe this person that seems angry with you isn’t really mad at you at all, but only directing their own corked emotions at you, someone that’s completely unrelated to the source of their agitation.So listen, that’s right, listen to what this difficult person has to say, and I’m sure you’ll find that there’s a very good explanation for their behavior. Remember, they’re the one that’s upset; that doesn’t mean you have to be too.

Next time that you find someone’s yelling at you or doing something you just don’t agree with, rationalize your point positively and always be sure to listen to their’s as well, and take on their point of view as though it were your own, if only for a moment. If you dismiss them, it will only drive them deeper into an emotional shell so that you may never be able to figure out the true problem at the pit of the plot.If you aid people in this way, you will realize quickly that you’re helping yourself too.

You can develop and empower yourself to make it a lot easier to deal with difficult people all around you, because you may not be able to control the emotions of others, but you can take control of yours.