Day 4: 25 Days - Dealing with difficult people during the holiday season

Many of us have experienced the scenario when you are on a holiday get-together and a person shows up that you don't feel comfortable with since they have been tough and unreasonably difficult to interact with. 

You can’t reason with an unreasonable person, but there are proven techniques to better manage dicey situations. 

Here are some suggestions:

• Listen carefully to what someone says and avoid adding any story to it

• Speak softly, avoid any aggressive tones

• Be mindful of your body language, avoid inappropriate smiling

• Stay calm, use deep breathing techniques if you feel anger arising

• Do not return anger with anger

• Try your best to understand what the person is really trying to say

• Do not mentally prepare a counterargument

• Know when to disengage by leaving the conversation by saying something like “Let’s talk about this later when we’re calm,” * and move on.

Participation question:

What helps you to deal with uncomfortable situations and difficult people?

Helpful Videos:

Dealing with difficult people 

Stoicism ▶ Dealing with Toxic People

Helpful Resources:

20 Expert Tactics for Dealing With Difficult People

* 5 Ways to deal with angry people

Seeking Help 

Mental stress can cause us not to be able to see the good things in life and lead to excessive rumination or worries which can result in serious health problems. If you have serious, long-term problems with negative thinking and feeling depressed, see your doctor or talk to a therapist if they are related to any mental challenges. 

Are you looking for a therapist? 7 Cups has online, certified therapists with a paid option. For more information on what happens in online therapy at 7 Cups, Read Lisa’s (a therapist and director of therapy) explanation 

https://www.7cups.com/forum/therapy/General_2432/WeveLaunchedTalkTherapyon7Cups_319430/

To apply for 7 Cups online therapy, click on this link (must be logged into member account) https://www.7cups.com/online-therapy/?ob=1

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