One thing we all can agree on is that we’re surrounded by stressful situations. We are caught up in our responsibilities we have to fulfill every day. To do this effectively, we have to put in a lot of effort, energy and time. All this can be quite stressful.
Yet, these stressful situations aren’t only connected to our daily responsibilities but to some people as well. Yeah, people too can sap your energy and leave you feeling exhausted, confused and hurt.
They are the toxic people also known as emotional vampires. They create chaos. They can poison your thoughts and your heart and prevent you from fulfilling your dreams.
If you want to achieve your goals and be effective in everything you do, you have to learn how to cope with and/or remove all the obstacles that can appear in your way, including toxic people.
If you wonder why some people are better at dealing with toxic people than you, here is the answer: That’s the kind of people who have high levels of emotional intelligence and a strong will.
These people know how to manage their own emotions and how to react to and subdue the harmful effect of toxic people.
Emotionally intelligent people don’t let toxic people stand in their way to achieving personal and professional success because they have the best coping strategies to handle them.
These are the 8 ways in which emotionally intelligent people deal with toxic people effectively:
1. They set boundaries.
Emotionally intelligent people are in charge of their own lives. They are determined to achieve their goals at a personal and professional level. They know that toxic people can be a big threat which can ruin the efforts to meet their goals and they immediately set boundaries.
Emotionally intelligent people also know that there is a difference between helping someone and letting them have a negative influence on us. So, to keep toxic people away, these people will distance themselves in a friendly and polite manner.
2. They have high levels of self-awareness.
Self-awareness is a very important quality of emotionally intelligent people because it enables them to protect themselves from the harmful influence of toxic people. They are able to control both their own feelings and reactions and stay calm or simply ignore even the most toxic people when they have a contact with them.
Their self-awareness makes them resourceful, which means they can easily find a way to stay out of the toxic person’s grip.
3. They focus on solutions, not problems.
Emotionally intelligent people see toxic people as a grave problem which requires an immediate solution. However, instead of focusing on the problem itself and creating negative emotions, they always try to find solutions.
Moreover, they know that there’s no point trying to change or getting into an argument with toxic people. So they look for a quick solution for handling or getting rid of their toxic influence completely.
4. They check negative self-talk.
Emotionally intelligent people know how to counteract the negativity of toxic people and to avoid negative self-talk as well. They know that this kind of talk can have an unnecessary and damaging influence on them and their goals, so they try to think positively and encourage themselves.
5. Although they forgive, they never forget.
Emotionally intelligent people have the ability to forgive others as this helps them reduce the unnecessary stress and move on with their lives. Yet, they never forget if someone did them wrong. They never give a toxic person another chance to hurt them again. They learn from their bad experiences how to differentiate between good and bad people and how to treat them respectively.
6. They maintain high energy levels.
I’ve already said that toxic people can drain your energy. Well, emotionally intelligent people don’t let this happen. They know that preserving their energy is vital to keep themselves away from both toxic situations and people. They are aware that if they lose their energy, they’ll start having negative thoughts and become insecure about themselves. On the other hand, by having high energy levels they can always achieve higher goals.
7. They center on what is in front of them.
Emotionally intelligent people know that a toxic person can do anything to distract them from achieving the things they want. Yet, they are very resourceful and have a strong will to keep their mind to it and eliminate all distractions. Sometimes, the best possible way to do that is to ignore toxic people.
8. They rely on their support.
Emotionally intelligent people know that fighting toxic people on their own can be difficult and even futile. We all know someone at work or outside work who’s already had experience with toxic people and knows how to deal with them. So, this is what emotionally intelligent people do. They look for the support of their friends, family members, and co-workers. They can use their experience and advice wisely and handle toxic people quickly and effectively.