Alright, let’s talk about something a bit personal today, about dealing with folks who decide to be mean. It happens, right? More often than we’d like.
I remember this one time, not too long ago actually, someone was consistently just… unpleasant towards me. Little jabs, sarcastic comments, that kind of stuff. At first, man, it got under my skin. My gut reaction was always to tense up, get defensive, maybe even snap back. You know how it is, that immediate feeling of wanting to push back when you feel attacked.
So, I tried that for a bit. Getting into little verbal spars, trying to point out how unfair they were being. But honestly? It just made things worse. It was exhausting, first off. And second, it felt like I was just giving them exactly what they wanted – a reaction, some drama. It didn’t solve anything; it just left me feeling drained and annoyed.
Trying Something Different
I got tired of feeling that way. I started thinking, okay, this back-and-forth isn’t working. What if I just… didn’t play the game? What if I just refused to give them the reaction they were fishing for?
So, I decided to try it. The next time a snide comment came my way, instead of jumping down their throat, I took a quiet breath. Like, actually paused and breathed. It felt weird at first, going against that instant reflex.
I made myself stay calm. I looked at the person, didn’t really show much emotion on my face, and gave a super neutral response. Something like, “Okay,” or just a simple nod. Sometimes, I’d just ignore the comment altogether and change the subject or go back to what I was doing.
It wasn’t about pretending it didn’t happen, but more about showing that their words weren’t going to dictate my mood or my reaction. I focused on keeping my own composure.
How It Turned Out
You know what? It was surprisingly effective. When I stopped reacting emotionally, when I stopped feeding into it, the person seemed… confused. They didn’t get the fight or the defensiveness they expected. The comments started tapering off. It wasn’t overnight, but it definitely lessened.
It felt way better for me too. I wasn’t spending energy on pointless arguments. I felt more in control, not of them, but of myself. By staying calm and not engaging on their level, I sort of took the power out of their meanness. It was a good lesson – sometimes the best response is to just keep your cool and not let someone else’s negativity become your problem.
