Let’s talk about dealing with negative people that surround
us on a daily basis. I’m not talking about the ones that occasionally vent
their anger because they’ve had a rough day, I’m talking about the ones that
are constantly bitching and moaning about something or other. The ones that you know, that
as soon as they open their mouths, nothing good is going to come out.
Have you ever really stopped and listened to the way these people
speak? Friends, partners, work colleagues or even family members? Is their
dialogue usually positive or negative? Does it uplift your mood or does it
instead, put a damper on it?
Every day we see it. We hear it. And we usually ignore it.
But, letting our fellow human-beings off the hook every time they burden us
with their negativity, isn’t doing us any good at all. In fact, it’s quite
harmful to our health - mental, emotional, as well as physical. It drains us
without us even realising it until it’s too late. We carry around the extra
weight of THEIR shit on our shoulders and we wonder why all of a sudden we feel
weak, sluggish and heavy and sick all the time. Pretty soon we find ourselves
sitting in the doctor’s office unable to explain to him why you feel like crap
and then, without warning, you burst into uncontrollable tears. Finally, he
feels sorry for you and proceeds to write out a script for Prozac or whatever drug
it is that they’re prescribing for depression these days.
How often have we risen out of bed and started our day off
in a reasonably good mood only to have that ‘good’ feeling, unfortunately,
short-lived? All because someone has decided to shower us with their negative
comments, bathe our mood with their murky philosophy and spoil our entire day
with their gloomy opinions. We have unknowingly, and unintentionally opened wide
the invisible gateway and allowed them to enter and transform, what could have
been, a bright, sanguine atmosphere into a dark and despondent one. And who do
we have to blame?
You got it! Yes. Ourselves.
We are the ones responsible for letting them get under our
skin, for allowing them the opportunity to contaminate our precious day with
their own pessimistic outlook on life and for standing there long enough to let
them believe that we are interested or that we care. If we give them the false
impression that it’s okay for them to continuously pour superfluous vocabulary
into the air we breathe and contaminate it with their abhorrence, then hey, we
only have ourselves to blame.
So what should we do?
Should we pull them up and explain that we don’t like to
hear their negativity and hope that they get the hint? Or, do we ignore them and
walk away?
Should we disagree and start an argument or a heated debate
which could eventually lead to a fist fight or worse? Or do we simply smile,
nod continuously and pretend to agree with them?
Should we stand there and ignore the feel of our insides
bubbling away aggressively as we listen to their crap? Or do we gradually spend
less and less time with these tedious souls until eventually the relationship
becomes null and void?
Whichever you choose to do, or however you decide to deal
with these personalities, just remember...you need, for your own sanity, to do
something, ANYTHING. Don’t let their behaviour spoil your day but most of all be
cautious because the company you keep determines the way others see you. Don’t
allow negative people to lead you astray with their caustic beliefs. If all you
hear over and over again are negatives, it soon becomes almost like a mantra. So
if you can’t change their perception, make sure that you don’t give them the
opportunity to change yours.
Ultimately, the choice is yours. Good luck.
Ciao’ for now...
M.C.
