DEALING with DIFFICULT PEOPLE

Contrarians, narcissists, self-absorbed, lacking empathy, defensive, controlling critical, condescending... you know them, and so do I.

Nov 21, 2023

You know them, don’t you?

Narcissists, contrarians. Those who like to stir the pot. Who always have to be right. Who lack empathy. Who are prone to anger outbursts. Who are evasive. Unreliable. Argumentative. Uncooperative. Defensive. Lacking self-awareness. Uninterested in growing.

With the holidays upon us, we might find ourselves dealing with difficult people. In my featured video (which first aired on my Living Swell channel) I share specific phrases you can use to stop the battles before they even start.

For many years, I was taken aback by these people who were at times pushy, at times aloof, but always, always difficult.

Over the years I’ve developed different strategies and approaches for dealing with these difficult people.

And that is exactly what I share in my featured video for you here:

(Remember, you can always watch on a faster playback speed by clicking the gear in the lower right corner.)

In this video, I share several personal stories of dealing with difficult people, along with several strategies for standing up for yourself — while still maintaining your composure, your dignity, and your integrity.

Here’s just a glimpse of the phrases I use, especially when someone is bombastically trying to force their point of view, or demand that I do things their way.

Consider saying:

What I believe (or do) may not make sense to you, but it makes sense to me.

I hear you. This suits me.

Thanks for sharing. Would you like to hear what I’ve been up to?

Would you like to hear what I think about that?

Thanks for sharing. That’s a perspective I hadn’t thought of or considered before.

Very interesting. That’s not how I see it. My experience has been different. Would you like me to tell you about it?

Again, best is to watch the video as it is crucial in dealing with difficult people.

Is there anything I’ve missed? Can’t wait to read your comments.

Thank you for being a reader of The Healthy American substack. All content is free upon publication to all readers. A special thank you to those who support my work with a paid subscription. Paid subscribers have access to the article archive, can leave comments on all posts, and are invited to our monthly private live Q&A webinars where we do deep dives on issues that matter to you.

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Did you know? I have a second youtube channel, Living Swell with Peggy Hall that focuses on positive encouragement for daily living, with videos similar to the one I’m featuring today. I publish new videos every Monday at 11 am pacific.

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