10 Ways to deal with someone who doesn't like you irl
Blocking and muting doesn't work offline. Sometimes the iffy situation doesn't warrant a face-to-face, at least not right now. The sulkers lurk around us all like the younger sibling who got mad at some mysterious thing.
1. Imagine them as a toddler. Just babysit the toddler throwing a non-violent tantrum
Because that's pretty much what it is, the assumption being that if they sulk, somebody will come. Somebody will come, ask them what is wrong, and give them the pacifier. Picture the hand-off. The key is not to feel superior but to realize that this is a funny thing for an adult to do.
2. If you can tune it out, go ahead.
The sulker suffers in proportion to your indifference.
3. Wait until their frustration goes dial 11
Catch them doing something insane when they lose marbles.
4. Manage your reputation in the meantime
If the sulker can't confront you, words will come not to you but around you. I won't try to out gossip the sulker because I'll probably lose but I'll have to manage the people around. This is why it pays to stay in good graces with former coworkers from the former job, the headhunters, etc. Even when things get sour at work, the freelance clients may not be contaminated by the situation.
5. Just assume that they are insecure
Envying is probably not too far from hating.
6. Ask yourself whether you are the one being insecure
Maybe you're imagining the whole thing. What really is the evidence that the sulker doesn't like you? Maybe the sulker dislikes the whole world.
7. Have an unrelated person to laugh it over with
The keyword is to laugh over it, not to badmouth the sulker. Just lighten it
8. Get busy
If the sulker is a coworker, just do the work. Keep coming back to focus. If #4 hasn't been done properly, mend the fences while working hard.
9. Ask yourself if things like this happened before
If it did, maybe you're not completely off the hook. It's not that useful to attribute which party deserves blame, just that some action or inaction causes this situation with certain type of people.
10. THE BEST: leave
If you can, of course. There is no close second.
8 billion people in the world. Why bother.
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