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How do you deal with people who constantly have negative comments to say to you?

22 Answers
Last Updated: 08/02/2021 at 7:10pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Polly Letsch, LCSW

Clinical Social Work/Therapist

I provide non-judgmental, person-centered, objective therapeutic treatment for individuals of all ages to improve social, emotional, mental and other areas of functioning.

Top Rated Answers
AreYouOk68
October 11th, 2016 11:56am
How often is this happening for you is this something everyday and is it the same people or different people, and how does it make you feel when they say negative comments?
Nadine
May 8th, 2015 9:58pm
When you are focused on your goals and you believe in yourself and believe you can do whatever you want with your life, negative comments won't touch you. Find yourself and understand who you are and what is it that you want and work to get better and better in the things that you like. Negative comments will always come from people who want you to fail, but you are stronger than that and your life is yours and only you can judge your choices and your actions.
CoconutMilk
May 21st, 2015 1:50am
I keep in mind the relationship I hold with these specific people. If it's just some random kid online or adult insulting me, I try to ignore it and give them no response. They are not worth the time nor the thought/consideration of their words. I also consider the source of criticism, whether or not if I did truly deserve the negative comments I get. Example: I would obviously value my coworkers and boss criticism on a project that I have no experience in where as they do, over some random guy on the street saying I know nothing , etc etc/
xagunia
April 19th, 2015 2:35am
To deal with people who constantly have negative comments towards you, tell yourself that their opinion does not matter. You are a wonderful person and no one else can tell you otherwise.
Chelsdeanne93
June 29th, 2015 10:26pm
I remove them from my life. If they are hurting and not helpful, I will explain how I feel at first. If that doesn't work, I find more positive people to surround myself with.
cherishedSunrise28
November 23rd, 2015 1:19am
When people have negative comments for me I usually tell them how it makes me feel, write it down, or just ignore them completely.
Anonymous
August 25th, 2015 7:34pm
Depends on who it is. If it's a peer or family member(and you care about what you say), you might have to outright tell them to stop. If there was constructive feedback to go with the comment, that would at least be helpful. But negative comments just discourage and tear you down. You don't need that.
Anonymous
April 3rd, 2018 7:20am
You shouldn't stay around such people. I am saying this from personal experience. I found myself in a similar situation a while ago and I decided to cut myself off from them and make new friends. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.
MammaBear88
May 16th, 2017 10:04am
Ooh, that's a tricky one! If it's someone who never has anything nice to say, of course I'll try to help them first, but sometimes people just want to be mean. If that's the case, I simply tell them I don't appreciate that sort of nastiness in my life, and if they won't stop then I will not carry on dealing with them. I try to be kind, always, but sometimes you have to be kind to yourself first.
Anonymous
September 22nd, 2015 6:16am
Stay positive as usual. A sun is gonna light up the dark and not gonna destroy by the darkness as it knows somebody need its sunlight.
Anonymous
July 26th, 2016 2:25am
You must take everything with a grain of salt. If you can't laugh with them... ignore them or laugh at them.
Anonymous
November 9th, 2015 6:28am
I personally avoid the negativity. I never let negative people bring me down. In order to feel better, you have to avoid the negativity, and find the positivity
Anonymous
August 26th, 2019 11:32pm
Those who say negative things to you can often be insecure or jealous. Your best bet is to ignore them, but if it really bothers you then show that you are better than what they think of you. Just because they perceive you as something does not mean that is who you are. Someone who always makes you feel worthless should never get to you. That is what they want, their mind cannot be changed. It has to come from within you to rise up above them, to show them that you are not who they think you are. Negativity can really ruin your day for sure, but remember all the positive things that happened that day and keep rewarding yourself with more.
Anonymous
October 17th, 2016 2:18pm
well either ignore them or tell them to stop and say it clearly you do not like it so they should stop
magicalListener1
September 20th, 2016 5:54pm
A. Ignore them. B. Respond with a great comeback! And my personal favorite, C. Flip your hair, and walk away!
IndigoHealer
May 10th, 2015 10:10am
People who speak negatively towards us, or about us need to be loved from a distance or released entirely as the practice is counter-productive to our spiritual and mental well-being. Suggested reading: The Verbally Abusive Relationship - How to recognize it and how to respond by Patricia Evans is an excellent resource. If the person in question is negative in general, and not directly towards you; I still suggest maintaining boundaries, in terms of time and willingness to listen. Eventually they will wander to someone more receptive to their energy leaching.
EternalBubbles7
May 18th, 2020 1:48am
You can go about this in two ways: 1. Communicate with them that the negative comments are hurting you and to ask them to stop (hopefully they also apologize). 2. End the relationship that person. You don't need negativity in your life. It only adds pressure and unnecessary stress to you mentally and psychologically. Those who always have negative things to say are, most of the time, the ones who are hurting the most and so they need to find a way to let out that negativity by putting that pressure on other people. It's their way to let it out. Of course, this is not the right thing to do because it can affect people like you. Hope this helped!
Anonymous
December 29th, 2015 2:09am
It's very difficult, but rise above it, make changes and prove everyone wrong. Be the best that you can be
temporarycarla
January 25th, 2016 8:48pm
I don't do the same to them, I just ignore them. Negative people don't deserve my time and attention because they only want to be harmful.
wonderousBeauty87
December 14th, 2015 2:05am
In first place, you should never doubt what you are capable of and what your made of. Once you have that crystal clear, no matter who says what you know where you're standing and how much you are willing to put in to accomplish any goal.
Tinygreentreefrog1234
September 22nd, 2015 2:03am
Realize that their comments right or wrong are their perspective. You can choose how it effects you. Think of who this person is try asking questions. Neither side benefits with assumptions. When all is said and done, you must choose if you benefit from being around this person.
MeditationIV
August 2nd, 2021 7:10pm
You have all the options under the sun. But try to figure out which one benefits you the most. Nobody likes painful comments, and so the emotional discomfort that follows can make it difficult to navigate decisions around that experience. Many people will say that it's not necessary to associate with such a person, and I'd say that's an extremely viable option (probably the best one). But, we can't be so sure. Maybe you'd like to consider setting a hard and heavy boundary or discussing this person's behavior and see what happens? Does this person know how they are affecting you? What do you normally do when this happens? What have your reactions been like? If you've tried setting boundaries, or are not yet able to, or this person just steamrolls over the ones you do set and maintain, or is just not a pleasant person overall (unkind and judgmental), maybe it's not a bad idea to consider focusing your energy on other friends! Hopefully, these thoughts offer you something.