If you follow me on social media, you may have seen my post selfie workout picture from last night.
If you don’t follow me on social media, you should. Here’s a shameless linking to my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
Anyways, along with the above picture, I posted the following status:
Guess what people?! SMILING and being appreciative is way easier, nevermind healthier, than complaining all the time! Tonight’s smiling post workout selfie is dedicated to just sweating off all the negative vibes around me lately.
I’m seriously struggling with the amount of naysayers in my life right now. I’m not going to use this post to ramble on and on with complaints (because then I’d be a little hypocritical, no?), but I just don’t understand how anyone can have that much to whine about. Or that much time to do it!
You know what I want to start calling these people?
Energy vampires.
Because when people are overly pessimistic, it just sucks the energy right out of you, even after your conversation or interaction is over. And lately I feel like I am surrounded by negative nancys and can’t escape. It’s like being surrounded by a bunch of walkers in The Walking Dead, except I guess then we’d be talking about energy zombies instead of energy vampires. Either way, all the negativity is leaving me drained, extra cynical, and to be honest, completely burned out.
So instead of letting all the energy vampires suck all the passion right out of me, last night I resolved to first go to the gym and get a kick ass workout, something that always helps my mood. I was awkwardly bear crawling all over the gym, through and around people giving me all sorts of weird looks. I did another bodyweight deadlift, and I felt AWESOME when I left. During my workout and on my drive home, I thought about how I can try to remove myself a bit from all the negativity bubbling up lately.
If you are dealing with something similar, whether at work or in your personal life, here are some of my tips for dealing with negative people:
- Breathe: Sometimes taking a deep breath or two before responding to someone who has nothing positive to say can really help you stay positive yourself.
- Empathize: Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes to see where they are coming from.
- Don’t argue: Usually there is no rationalizing, and it just adds fuel to the fire. You might not be able to control the other person, but you can control your reaction to them.
- Wait to respond: If you can, wait before interacting with the person. I know for me, if I let something go until the next day instead of responding right away, it helps because I’m no longer in the heat of the moment.
- Disengage: If doing the above doesn’t work for you, simply disengage. You don’t have to get together with people who “zap you” (something we talked a LOT about at the health and wellness retreat I went to this weekend). You don’t have to respond. You simply don’t. You don’t have to give in to toxic co-workers, family members, or friends.
Aside from the above, some of my favorite strategies include hitting the gym, going for a long walk outside, listening to upbeat music, cleaning (yup!), spending time in the sun, reading, or having a glass of wine. And maybe some chocolate. Or some chips and salsa. With extra guac. 🙂
I’m not sure where to source this from, but I saw this quote on Caroline’s Instagram this morning, and it’s just what I needed to see.
—Let’s chat–
Do you have any negativity going on in your life right now? What are your tips for dealing with negative people?
Here’s to hoping this is all just lingering from Friday the 13th and the full moon last week!
Fitness & Feta 