9 Ways Emotionally Intelligent People Deal with Toxic People

9 Ways Emotionally Intelligent People Deal with Toxic People

Life is stressful enough for most of us. Allowing a toxic individual to destroy your immediate environment can wreak havoc on your mental health, which can lead to physical challenges. Not only does a poor mental state affect your physical health, but it also makes it difficult for you to respond calmly under stress. Therefore, your ability to perform effectively can be affected if you do not adopt strategies that allow you to deal with bad things. 

Where it takes emotional intelligence to deal with these people. People with high levels of it are able to control their emotions and stay calm under stress. This not only prevents them from feeling stressed and mentally exhausted when in the company of toxic people, and they are undoubtedly one of the biggest sources of stress, but it also helps them neutralize them more easily.

Here are 9 Ways Emotionally Intelligent People Deal with Toxic People

1. They set boundaries

That set limits with the complainants Complainers are healthy for you because they are negative people who drown in self-pity and focus on their problems rather than looking for solutions. The most annoying thing is that they try to involve other people in their pity parties and pass on negativity, so that they feel less sad about themselves. Most of us feel a moral obligation to hear about their problems. Drop a friendly ear if you must, but be sure not to get caught up in the cycle of pessimism.

The best way to avoid getting bogged down in their negativity is to set boundaries and distance yourself when you cross those boundaries. For example, if you were someone who avoided smoking, would you sit with someone who smokes all day and listen to their problems and secondhand smoke? You'll keep away from the smoke, right? When you have to deal with complainants, you should take a similar approach. One effective way to reduce their negative conversations is to ask them directly how they plan to fix their problems. They will stop complaining or at least change the course of the conversation in a more positive and productive direction.

You need to set boundaries because if you allow things to happen naturally, you will constantly indulge in difficult situations and unpleasant conversations. You have set your limits consciously and proactively. Boundaries help you determine when and how you will interact with a difficult person, so you are in control of things. The important thing is that you stand up and stick to your boundaries even when someone tries to snoop on them, which they will always do.

2.  Rising Above

The way toxic people act is irrational, which is why it feels crazy when you have to deal with them. Yes, their behavior defies the mind. But if you know how irrational they can be, why do you respond emotionally to their arguments and indulge in their stories? The moment you see someone being hopelessly irrational, distance yourself before falling further into the trap. 

There is no point in trying to defeat such a person. It is best to distance yourself emotionally from such a person. From now on, treat your interactions with the person as if you were dealing with a science project - you just have to respond to the facts, emotional clutter doesn't need your energy.

3. They stay aware of their feelings

Distancing yourself from toxic people requires awareness on your part. It is not possible to prevent someone from provoking you if you do not understand until when this is happening. In certain situations, you need to realign yourself and choose a way forward that works best for you. This is encouraging and you should not be afraid that you need some time to adjust.

Think about a situation where a mentally unstable person approaches you and wants you to believe their lies. You wouldn't try to correct his thoughts, would you? When you interact with a co-worker who is dealing with you in a twisted manner, it is best to smile and nod. And if you want to straighten their minds, it is best to give yourself some time and make a plan on how to do this.

4. They don't allow others to limit their joy.

 Emotionally intelligent people have remarkable power - when they are happy and proud of something they've done, they don't allow other people's opinions or sarcastic remarks to rob them of their joy. If you want to be the master of your own happiness, then you cannot derive your happiness and satisfaction from the opinions of others.

It's impossible to be completely indifferent to what other people say and think about you, but always remember to take their opinions with a pinch of salt, and you should never allow yourself to compare anything about you to others around you. No matter how toxic people try to manipulate you, when your self-worth comes from deep within you, these people will not be able to affect your self-confidence. Regardless of other people's opinions, just know that you are neither good nor bad as they draw you.

5. Focus on solutions rather than problems.

Your emotional state depends on where you focus your attention. When you get caught up in your problems, you trigger more negative emotions and stress. Instead, if you focus your thoughts on how you can improve your circumstances and improve yourself, you create a state of personal activism that leads to positive reactions and reduces stress levels. 

Being too preoccupied with the toxic people in your life, and constantly thinking about how irrational and manipulative they are, actually makes you weaker and gives them more power over you. You need to shift your thinking from how difficult it is to change their beliefs about your life to how you handle these toxic people. This is a good practice because it makes you accountable for your interactions with them, and you will also be exposed to less stress.

6. They do not forget. 

Emotionally intelligent people live with this simple yet effective wisdom. Forgive and let what happened in order to move forward. But don't forget the mistake that was made against you. Do not give the oppressor another chance. Mature and successful people don't allow themselves to lose their hearts because of other people's mistakes, so they forgive them and let them go. But they are keen to protect themselves in the future from similar harm.

7. They neutralize negative self-talk.

 It is normal to absorb some negativity from others; It's also normal to feel bad if someone treats you wrong. But the self-conversations you have with yourself become the determining factor for whether these negative feelings worsen or you can overcome them. In this regard, it is important to remind yourself that negative self-conversations are unnecessary. They defeat themselves and pull you deeper into the negative snail. Hence, negative self-conversations should be avoided at all costs.

8.  They sleep enough.

Lack of sleep increases your stress levels even when you’re not faced with any life stressors. Sleep is the time when your mind recharges your memory, navigates through the accumulation of the day, or keeps or ignores your memories, which is why we have dreams. And when this process happens correctly, we wake up more energetic and clear of mind. Your memory, attention span, and even self-control are affected when you are not getting the right amount of sleep or the quality of sleep. 

Sleep deprivation increases your stress hormones without the need for any other stress. Hence, a good night's sleep makes your mind more positive, alert and proactive in your approach to difficult people, providing the right perspective you need to deal with the bad people.

9. They have support system 

 As a self-reliant person, you should be tempted to try to manage all of your problems on your own. But let me tell you that this is very ineffective. Let's face it, we all have our weaknesses, and in order to deal with bad people, you need to be aware of your weaknesses, which are reflected in your approach to them. This means taking a step back from your support systems to help you gain more perspective on how to deal with a difficult person. 

Another person such as a friend or therapist provides helpful advice and can also see a good solution to a problem because he sees situations without emotion. You cannot see things clearly because you are emotionally affected by what is happening around you.

Related: 5 Mind Games Every Toxic Person Play With You.