No matter if you’re facing a global or personal crisis – or both!- building resilience can help you manage stress, overcome hardship and embrace the brighter days ahead.
Managing and leading difficult people presents a unique set of challenges that requires care, compassion, and consideration. This article examines some of the most common types of difficult individuals and provides strategies for successful dealing with them.
Build Resilience
Resilience is an invaluable resource that can help you manage stress and thrive in the face of adversity. It plays a significant role in mental health and can bring about positive changes in your life.
Building resilience can be a skill you develop on your own or with professional counseling. It involves various techniques like building resources for yourself, learning new abilities and strategies, and making positive changes in your life to increase resilience.
Resilient people know how to leverage their strengths, avoid impulsive behaviors and manage stress and anxiety effectively. Maintaining a healthy body and mind are also essential in building resilience as is taking care of one’s emotional wellbeing through practices such as mindfulness, yoga, meditation or journaling.
Building social connections is also essential for building resilience. When we are surrounded by supportive and encouraging individuals, we feel less anxious, more connected, and better equipped to handle difficult circumstances.
Additionally, helping others overcome similar difficulties is another way to build resilience. By sharing your insights and offering assistance, you can provide comfort and encouragement to those in need.
Though it can be challenging to stay positive during times of sadness and trauma, resilience is the key to keeping your head up and savoring the good days ahead. Here are a few tips that will help you do just that:
1. Avoid Conflict
Sometimes the best approach for dealing with a difficult person is simply walking away and moving on. This may not be easy, but if you can do it successfully then your energy and mental health will be improved so that you can move forward with life’s next situation more easily.
2. Seek Out Lessons
No matter how difficult life’s lessons may seem, everything has a purpose and something to be learned. Take time to reflect upon your circumstances and what lessons can be drawn from them; by doing so, you will find wisdom within yourself that can make you stronger as a result of it all.
3. Stay Focused
Resilience isn’t a one-size-fits all skill; everyone has strengths and weaknesses. To find what works for you, it’s essential that you identify what motivates you and work with a therapist to develop these coping abilities.
Take Responsibility
Responsibility for your actions is one of the most essential characteristics you can develop as an adult. Not only does it show courage and self-worth, but it can also increase mental strength and resilience. It will enable you to cope with stress, overcome hardships, and appreciate life’s better days ahead.
Refusing to accept responsibility for their errors can be a remarkably damaging habit that erodes away at one’s mental wellbeing. This attitude should never be allowed to stand in the way of making amends.
To effectively deal with a difficult personality, remain composed and rational. Establish boundaries and enforce them consistently so that the person cannot use your feelings against you in any negative way. This will prevent them from using negative reactions against you for their own gain.
It is essential to remember that people who seem difficult don’t necessarily mean harm. They could simply be struggling with their own personal issues or dealing with a major life transition.
They may be feeling isolated or restless and need validation, attention, or control. They may feel like they’re not good enough and want to make everyone around them contented.
Their inability to manage themselves leads them to be harsh and demanding towards others. They often believe they are separate from everyone else and that they have the power to dictate everything around them.
The cycle can continue, with each person playing their own role: a bully finds a victim; a rescuer saves that same victim. Both individuals are driven by similar underlying emotions.
When someone is suffering, there should be a way to connect them to those who can assist them. Sometimes this could even just involve providing them with an environment in which they feel safe talking about their troubles and emotions.
Support groups, counselors or pastors can be invaluable resources for people in this type of circumstance. They help the individual comprehend their behavior and offer strategies to alter it.
Support from those in your life who can be challenging can be a great asset in handling them and improving the relationship. It may also benefit your mental health and wellbeing, allowing you to focus on what matters most. Furthermore, this is an opportunity for self-reflection on how best you can move forward in your own life and develop skillsets that benefit everyone involved.
Find the Lessons
Difficult people come in many forms; they can be a distraction, bully, or someone who you feel does not respect your work and values. Additionally, these individuals tend to compete with you for power and privilege; they attempt to undermine your career or cause issues at home.
If you’re having difficulty dealing with a difficult person, there are several supportive resources that can assist. These include self-examination and discussion, directly addressing the issue with that individual, putting an end to it permanently, or transferring to another job within your organization.
You may be surprised to know that a coworker or employee who seems difficult may actually have had painful experiences in their own life which have contributed to their behavior. Being patient and understanding will not only make managing this situation easier, but it could also prevent future stress from building up.
As you discuss with them, inquire what they have observed about your impact on you. You could ask questions like, “What have you taught me about myself through your behavior?” or “How did your words affect my performance?”
It’s essential to address their behaviors immediately, yet be kind and patient with them even if they retort. They may not realize how their actions impact you or lack emotional intelligence to understand why they need to alter.
In the meantime, you can practice patience by waiting until they’re calm and willing to discuss. Don’t let the situation escalate into something worse which could lead you to become increasingly irrational.
Avoid trying to convince them otherwise; arguments rarely lead anywhere and may only serve to fuel their anger at being confronted. Don’t try to change someone by argument; the likelihood is that they won’t listen and may try to deny what occurred or become defensive in response.
Once they’ve learned something, take some time to reflect and consider how you can improve your relationship with them. If possible, address their negative behaviors and encourage them to make positive choices.
Be Prepared
No matter how cliche it sounds, being prepared is the best way to manage stress and triumph over adversity. This includes knowing what triggers your stressful feelings and reactions, comprehending their causes, and avoiding situations that could potentially trigger anxiety.
By pausing, you can take a moment to reflect on what matters most in your life and what challenges you are capable of handling. This pause helps prevent emotional reactions from getting out of hand and allows you to respond more thoughtfully when dealing with difficult people.
Utilize this technique in combination with other skills, such as using self-esteem to motivate yourself and recognizing the good in others. These abilities can help you deal with difficult people more productively rather than reacting emotionally or physically.
Being prepared helps you control your own emotions and reactions to difficult situations, which is especially crucial if they happen frequently. For instance, if you need to have a conversation with a coworker who consistently arrives late and doesn’t finish his tasks, being prepared ahead of time allows for calm discussions about issues without feeling overwhelmed or stressed out.
By managing your emotions, you have the power to control how you respond to someone else’s behaviour. This will improve communication skills and minimise any negative repercussions in the relationship. You can practice these abilities from home or the office; even ask a therapist for assistance in developing them.
Coping with a Difficult Relationship
Few things in life are as challenging as dealing with an unpleasant partner or friend. Whether you are living together as husband and wife, or trying to forge new connections, you need to be prepared for all the ups and downs that come your way in your relationships.
When dealing with an ex-spouse, long-distance friend, or coworker, it’s essential to anticipate their pattern of behavior in order to remain calm and patient during difficult times. These behaviors may include all-or-nothing solutions, unmanaged emotions, and extreme actions such as yelling or impulsive withdrawals.
