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How to deal with difficult people in life
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 We all have to deal with people at times who are less than cooperative. You find difficult people in check-out lines, at work, even within your own family. The challenge is to avoid becoming emotionally hooked into reacting to them, to not become defensive. Rather than react, we need to emotionally distance ourselves to try to minimize the impact of difficult people on us.
Recognize that difficult people are annoying as a result of their limitations. They don't deliberately try to hurt other people's feelings-- at least not usually. They're merely demonstrating their own lack of social judgment and self-control.
Here are some techniques:
- Don't attack back. That will only escalate things. Speak assertively, but without communicating any judgment.
- Establish clear limits. Difficult people are often unaware of their impact on others. If they are acting abusively, give them a calm responses, clearly establishing your limits.
- Work around the difficult individual. It's impossible to avoid difficult people altogether. But you usually can minimize your contact with them.
- Suggest they seek professional help.
This can be tough. But especially in the work environment, difficult people, once given objective feedback on their behavior, can make dramatic changes. At least, professional help can get them to learn to "turn down the volume" and improve their social skills.
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