These tips may feel unnatural at first. When you're dealing with a person behaving unreasonably, the fear response center in your brain (the fight-flight-freéze part) is going to be activated.
How to Deal with Difficult People:
- Listen. Listening is the number one step in dealing with "unreasonable" people. Everyone wants to feel heard.
- Stay Calm. When a situation is emotionally charged, it's easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment. Monitor your breathing. Try to take some slow, deep breaths.
- Don't judge. You don't know what the other person is going through. Chances are if a person is acting unreasonable, they are likely feeling some sort of vulnerability or fear.
- Reflect respect and dignity toward the other person. No matter how a person is treating you, showing contempt will not help productively resolve the situation.
- Saying, "I understand," usually makes things worse. Instead, say, “Tell me more so I can understand better.”
