How can you practice self-care when dealing with difficult people?

In life we meet many kinds of people. Some are blessings while others are a challenge. In both the cases it is important to focus on the good things that we have learned from the experience and interactions. And remember that self-care is critical for your success. When we meet with difficult people it is essential to pause, breathe and take a break to reflect and recharge. After a difficult conversation, just get up from your seat and take a walk. Take a coffee or a tea break. Go talk to a co-worker or a family member and talk about something else. Always prioritize self-care. Don’t let anyone’s bad attitude affect you negatively, make you unhappy and upset. Remember, you can’t pour from an empty vessel. Take care and stay safe.

The key thing you need to learn is energy management... how to manage your energy and how to manage their energy coming at you. You've likely experienced at some point in time, taking on others' emotions. eg. Someone is anxious and you start feeling like their anxiousness. It's like that but to a whole other level. Learning how to distinguish your energy from their's is a vital first step. Next is learning how to create energetic boundaries so that the difficult energies don't come into your space. Once you're there you need to clarify exactly what's going on from your point of view and decide exactly what next steps beyond just energy that you need to take care of. Sometimes nothing. Sometimes everything.

In my experience, You want to setup boundaries while avoiding creating walls. Walls, not boundaries. For example, one of the key rules in my workspace is that no conversation that impinges the dignity of another person is acceptable. At the same time, authentic feedback is always welcome and even celebrated. It is a really fine line. But if the leadership is patient, then gradually a work culture can be built where outbursts are rare and people are patient in dealing with difficult people. When even the most difficult of people, experience being heard, they are then not so difficult to deal with anymore! I have personally experienced this so many times that I have lost count now. People are easier to deal with once they open up.

Yip. Set limits. However this requires the developmental accomplishment of healthy narcissism. Healthy narcissism is the ability to say 'no', and in fact 'yes please', without worrying about what other people think.

Absolutely. Their crazy cycle is not yours. As my wife says often, "That's not my circus and that's not my monkey." However, their crazy cycle can unknowingly become yours if you're not careful. It's ever so subtle so be aware if you're thinking about and/or discussing their problems most of your weeks, it's time to say "no" for a short time.

It is important to keep a calm and patient attitude to those who provoke us willingly or otherwise so that we do not add to the unpleasant situation. For this we have to have self-awareness, readiness to forgive and forget so that an atmosphere of trust and progress in relationships is created. We can always address the issue, if need be, later when the heat of the moment subsides and the atmosphere is conducive for an impassioned discussion!

One technique that works like magic here is called H.A.L.T. - before responding, check in with yourself whether you're Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. This sounds silly, but it works! Just by stopping to check in, you stop the vicious amygdala-driven cycle.

I often emphasize that while you can't control others' behavior, you have control over your reactions. Acknowledge their actions, but strive not to let it impact you. Eliminate negative emotions from the equation.

Eu gosto de usar a respiração em 4 tempos, porém antes é preciso desenvolver a autoconsciência, nomeando e reconhecendo as emoções para fazer a gestão de pensamentos e comportamentos. É preciso também tomar atitude de se afastar dessas pessoas e situações tensas. Quando você se conhece facilita conhecer o outro para agir da maneira correta mantendo o equilíbrio emocional

Staying calm in important, and suggest the angle of curiosity to bring out the true issue. Walking through the situation may glean new information, understanding intent and resolve false assumptions to help work through emotions on both sides. Before a meeting, prepare as much as you can identifying what you know and what the other person may believe to help guide the conversation (when needed)

I believe that: 1. we are all difficult in our own ways. 2. behavior is more about context than about character. 3. how people behave is on them, but how I react is always, always on me. This is the one thing I can control.

The other person's reaction is their responsibility. In my experience, many of the reactions I have encountered had nothing to do with me, but is a result of their upbringing and current life situation. Just think about it for yourself, have you ever snapped at someone, you feel sorry for it afterwards, and it happened because you were feeling really bad in the moment? We all can be in a bad state causing us to react in ways that might hurt others. Remembering this can give us more grace and patience

Para voltar a me concentrar em mim, isto é, no meu propósito costumo assistir documentários inspiradores para relembrar dos meus desafios e vitórias. E refletir sobre minha história de vida, que é inspiração para eu estar aqui e agora

When you learn and grow yourself, you will have the ability to handle difficult people successfully. Sometimes we perceive people as difficult because we do not have the skills to handle their behaviors and reactions successfully. However, if you learn different temperaments and human behavior patterns, then you will know how to handle them, which means difficult people are not difficult at all. We just have to become stronger than what seems difficult. It gives us the opportunity to learn and develop ourselves.

Once we have practiced self-compassion with boundaries and emotional regulation, consider shifting awareness to observing the person before you. What might happen if you seek to understand the underlying drivers of their behaviors?

There is a simple principle that can help deal with people who come across as challenging. You may have to see them day in and day out because of your job, relationship or anything else that demands your engaging with them. And so this mantra will help. Have a departmental store approach. When you go to a departmental store, there are many items on display on the shelf. Would you pay from your pocket just because they are available there for your consumption and bring them home? Follow the same principle in choosing whom to expend your emotions and energy on.Pick the parts of the person's behavior that uplift you & leave the parts that drain you. They are n't yours to deal with.So let them rest on the shelf of the person offering them.

Sometimes the best way to get our courage and faith back is to have someone else remind us of our greatness. It requires courage to open up and be vulnerable by reaching out to others to tell what we feel. That vulnerability is the foundation for great, deep and meaningful connections and relationships. In that appreciation of such deep and meaningful relationships, you can heal and let go of the burdening emotions (for example sadness, hurt, grief). Remember to connect to process the emotions and get past it. If you connect to get a pat on your shoulder for your story and to be a victim, you will be stuck in the disempowered state.

Always keep the focus on the problem. And remember, you can't solve their problem. They're the only ones who can do that. If they want to. Some people want drama so detach yourself because it's not your problem.

Pessoas difíceis se fazem de vítimas e se você permitir te sugam toda a sua energia. É preciso estar atenta para dizer não e se afastar como forma de autocuidado e para continuarmos seguindo o nosso propósito buscando equilíbrio emocional na vida pessoal e profissional

Knowing when to walk away from stressful situations is important. It could be temporary or permanent, depending on the situation. If you cannot get away from the difficult people at the moment, then take a break from them as much as you need. This will help you recharge yourself so when you come back you can handle them better. However, make sure to learn and find the time to work with them successfully. Even if it is just a slow process. As long as you are making progress, you will feel better because you are improving.

It can be helpful to be curious and open to understanding what is happening for the other person in the situation. This allows you to have empathy and compassion for the other person's position which may change your perspective and strategy to work with them.

Creating a gratitude mindset can be very beneficial for improving your mood and focusing on the positive aspects of your life. You can begin to write down, 5 things that you are grateful for. Incorporate this activity into your daily routine and continue for 21 days. This will help you to naturally feel more grateful in your everyday life.

In my experience, fear, sadness, frustration, or any other disempowering emotions goes away with appreciation and gratitude. You can for example appreciate yourself for taking the action to face this person. Appreciate that you decided to step up for yourself. The outcome might not be as desired, but you actually faced the person. It is no such thing as failure in this situation because with action comes experience and an opportunity to learn. Failure only happens if you give up, but the fact that you took action is worth appreciating. The ability to make decisions is powerful. Acknowledge and appreciate that ability in you

It is easy to label other people "difficult." Does someone communicate differently? Difficult. Does someone need an actual weekend off when the boss wants them to work on the weekend? Difficult. Does someone not want to have their Zoom video on? Difficult. Does someone cry and you do not like crying? Does someone not want to go to the happy hour where others gossip and politic? Difficult!!! But let's first check to see if expectations of extra work, normative socializing and Stepford wife-like demeanor are reasonable. What if these expectations are ableist, neuroableist (targeting specifically neurodivergent people), culturally insensitive or simply unfair, such as the expectation of overwork? What if, in fact, we are being difficult?

Selfless leadership requires that we are a little bit selfish in taking some time for ourselves. For me this is in daily workouts, meditation, and technology ceasefires. These steps allow me to bring more to the job by stepping away from it for short periods.

Labeling individuals as "difficult" can be overly simplistic and may not capture the complexity of human behavior. People can exhibit challenging behaviors for various reasons, including stress, personal issues, or communication difficulties. It's often more constructive to understand and address specific behaviors or conflicts rather than categorizing individuals as inherently difficult.

Practice self-care with difficult people by setting boundaries, staying mindful, cultivating a positive environment, communicating assertively, engaging in emotional detox, reflecting on reactions, seeking support, managing time effectively, pursuing hobbies, embracing learning opportunities, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and considering professional help when needed.

When you live in a dominant culture where every other person ( given their implicit biases, prejudices, tendency to form cliques) tests your boundaries, it can be challenging to practice self care. I have found in such times when I cannot completely trust and lean on a single person for support then compassion practices such as loving kindness to be helpful. The energy created can help the relationships you have with difficult individuals or a community as you understand that behaviours of such individuals or community basically results from their upbringing, values and sadly fractured and divisive culture.