Tonight I sit here and ask myself one question. "Am I a difficult person?" I feel like everyone can think of difficult individuals, whether it be at work, school, or in our own family. I can name several right off the bat, but tonight leaves me wondering if I am ever THAT person. Am I the one with the hard head and pessimistic attitude?
Think of the last time you were faced with a negative or difficult person. Recall the last time someone intentionally said something or did something to hurt you. How did you handle it? Did you get through it with peace and grace? What was the result?
Its inevitable. No matter where we go, we will face people who always oppose our ideas, people who piss us off, or those that we just can not stand to be around for fear that we will fall into deep depression and join their downward spiral of emotions. You know who I'm talking about...the Negative Nancies and Debbie Downers...the people who are often so bored and unhappy with their own lives that they want to take others (you) down with them. They create conflict. Now, conflict is just a fact of life, but it also triggers our emotions and drives us back to our survival instinct; react and attack.
Sure our instinct is make this person miserable, but as humans we are the only "animals" blessed with intelligence and self-control. The react and attack response is natural, so it takes more self-control to not let it bother us. Besides, reactions to someone who is negative will only trigger anger and additional reactions from that person. Think about the best way to deal with the situation. I came across this quote, "Where attention goes, energy flows." Again, as humans, we are blessed with intelligence, and we are able to focus on one thing at a time. What we focus on tends to expand itself within us. Energy spent on negativity is energy that could have been spent on our personal well-being.
I am no psychologist. I took three hours worth of psychology in college, so I am by no means an expert. I have had a lot of practice dealing with negativity, and it is actually something I find myself having to actively work on. The truth is this: we have emotions and egos. Try not to let them get out of hand. Eliminate those Debbie Downers in your life. Why let them continue to be an energy drain? Separate yourself. When you find yourself identifying with these kind of people, focus...or go for a run, swim, bike ride...clear your mind and release any built up emotions in a healthy manner.
