Literally, we may have in one way or the other experienced difficult people in our lives.
Infact, presently you may be trying to relate with someone who seem to be too difficult to get along with. You can admit that, we have them all around us.
Whether it’s a colleague, boss, member of our family, neighbor, customer/acquaintance, we run into difficult people all the time.
One might want to ask why people choose to be difficult atimes__. There’s probably not an easy answer for why some people are difficult to deal with. The reasons are as varied as the people are.
A difficult person is someone who often lacks empathy, compassion, or concern for others. You can simply say they’re calloused. Sometimes aggressive about themselves, they can be rude and hostile to people.
Difficult people tend to feel they are better than everyone else__condescending in Nature. This type of person seems unapproachable when you’re looking to shake their hand. They even seem disgusted when you approach them, as if you have some contagious disease. Then, when conversing with them, they talk down to you as if you’re inferior to them.
Whatever your situation may be, there are ways to equip yourself to better deal with difficult people.
Steps to Get Along with Difficult People;
#1. Stay Calm.
The very first, and most important of all. Have you ever received an email from someone at work that immediately had you seeing red? This has happened to me on more occasions than I care to remember.
Working with a difficult person can really be infuriating. Do not respond immediately, take a deep breath and cool off. Such an individual could aim at making things a bit difficult for you. However, responding at that same moment could make things much more confusing. Pause, and if you seem not to contain yourself, go to the lake!.
#2. Be a good listener, especially before reacting.
Be the ear a person may need when they are being “hard to deal with.”
Try listening to them to discern the hurt or frustration that the person may be going through. You never know what is behind their frustrating behavior.
#3. Be respectful.
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
Don’t return the behavior that you have received back to the difficult person that infuriated you. Most people know that they were in the wrong and their behavior was good or bad.
Showing kindness and respect, even when it is not deserved, could be the thing that compels their heart to change.
#4. Use Lots of Kindness.
When dealing with difficult people, the gut reaction is to be difficult right back. When it feels like someone is attacking you, your first thought is to defend yourself. I’ve been there and still get caught up in that when I don’t slow down and take a pause.
What I have found in almost every difficult situation is kindness goes a lot further than being difficult. When two people are being difficult with each other, the situation tends to escalate to a point where nothing will get accomplished. So whenever they choose to be quite defensive and all, just be kind.
#5. Offer compliments.
There are times when all of us, especially difficult people, could use some positivity in our lives.
A few nice words. A smile. Try giving them a compliment; it may go a long way. Make lemons out of lemonade, as they say. That ridged boss, coworker or neighbor may simply need to hear what it is that you like or value about them.
While not all “difficult people” are bad people, we must learn to live with them and see the best we can in them. I believe these #5 core steps on how to get along with difficult people will help you along the way.