How Do I Deal With Someone Who Is Being Impolite?

Whether it's an angry customer, the one family member that everyone tries to avoid, or a 'frenemy' that is really starting to get on your nerves, we will all come across people who are impolite and unfortunately there's not a whole great deal we can do about it. Thankfully, I've found some survival tips that could help defuse a situation, while allowing you to maintain a professional, kind attitude and allowing you to avoid stooping to their level - as tempting as it may seem.

Someone who is generally impolite is typically someone who may have narcissistic traits. I say this because those with these type of traits value themselves more than anything else, and have no fear talking down to others they deem unworthy of their time and effort. The best way to deal with a narcissist is to acknowledge them and praise them. It may seem bizarre, but to seem "worthy" to a narcissist, they have a need to feel understood and appreciated, so killing with kindness works well here, even if it is a simple "Hello!" and "Thank you!" Behind the tough exterior, all they want is to be accepted and included, even if the way they are going about it isn't beneficial to anyone. Believing in common decency and smiling through it all is a superpower the whole population would wish to possess, but in a case of being around people that drag you down, it is more important than anything else!

If Your Partner Is Rude

Many of you may be wondering why I've suggested such anti-confrontational responses to those who clearly have no regard for others, well, the reason behind this is simple. As tempting as it may be to give someone who has been hurtful a piece of your mind, it isn't beneficial to yourself at all. You know exactly how this impolite person makes you and others feel, so why would reacting the same way improve anything? You don't want to lose yourself by trying to change another person, and even so, most of the time, these people are unwilling to change unless they begin to notice real impacts in their own lives. For example, most realise their wrongs once the amount of friends they have seems to be dwindling away, or they begin to get the feeling that nobody wants to talk to them anymore. The realisation needs to be left to the ones causing the conflict as there is no real way to truly change how someone acts. If you do slip into responding in an impolite way, it's worth apologising before things escalate. Not for them, but for yourself.

It's important to remember not to let anyone's poor behaviour fester in your mind for too long. It is easy to feel upset or discouraged by someone who hasn't been particularly pleasant, but it's less about you and more about them as a person. Letting these negative feelings play on your mind doesn't only make your intolerance of the specific person grow, but it will also begin to impact your own mental wellbeing, including your self-esteem and confidence. If you have a say in who you are spending your time with, (tricky customers from work and Great Uncle Ahmed is unavoidable, I'm afraid) and nothing else seems to be working, it's okay to decide to cut them out of your life completely. There are just some people that we will never get along with and that's to be expected, to escape any future issues with these people, sometimes it's best to know when enough is enough and just stay well away.