Navigating Relationships with Difficult People

We all know by now that stress is harmful to our bodies and we should lessen the stress in our everyday lives. But what happens when you have difficult people in your life? It’s one thing to walk away from a rude cashier at the grocery store but much more difficult if that person is a family member or coworker.

A word of encouragement: It is impossible to live a stress-free life. As hard as you try, there will be various levels of stress every day, even if you’re relaxing at home. So, don’t try to aim for perfection by going for stress-free. Instead, learn how to handle the difficult people so your reaction to situations or comments doesn’t elevate your blood pressure so much.

I wish this episode would give you the magic pill to make you a pro at dealing with difficult people but it really takes introspection and work on your part. However, the more you practice these steps, the easier it will become to shift away from stress when dealing with difficult people or situations.

In this episode, I’ll walk you through the steps of learning how to interpret a stressful situation and what makes a difficult person (hint: everyone has a different opinion about this). We’ll also talk about staying calm and neutral in stressful situations. Logic makes us think; emotions make us act. We want to remain logical but that will take some practice.

One last thing to remember…this is not about winning or being right. Chances are that you won’t win over this difficult person. But getting to a neutral place and being unattached to the outcome is preferable to an emotional reaction that might make the situation worse.