Pure Happiness: How to Reduce the Impact of Negative People in Your Life

It is practically impossible to completely cut negative people from your life, but there are some steps that you can take to help mitigate the damage that they can do.

When you're constantly surrounded by individuals who would rather see a glass half empty, it can begin to take a toll on even the most optimistic of souls. Over time, this wearing down of your positive exterior can grow and spread -- until you find that you're the one who has a negativity problem!

Fortunately, there are ways that you can reduce the impact that gloomy people have over your life and simply choose happiness. 

Identifying Negative People

Some negative people exude a black cloud, while others may be a bit more subtle in their darkness.

The first step towards culling negativity from your life is by identifying those individuals who are causing your life to be less-than-happy. Stay on the lookout for people with these traits:

• Constant worrying and fretting, often for no reason


• Enjoy secrecy or spreading rumors


• Always seem to be stuck in neutral -- no steps forward, nothing outside their comfort zone


• Even the most exciting projects receive a "Blah" reaction


• Every positive statement contains a "but", turning it right into a negative

Protect Your Time

Have you noticed that some people like to wander from place to place in an office or workplace setting, spreading gloom and doom wherever they go?

They truly seem to enjoy bringing others down to their level of bad attitude. Don't be afraid to block your calendars for 15 or even 5 minutes to recharge and meditate after an interaction with one of these individuals. It will help you reset your mood from down in the dumps to feeling like there's a more positive future on the horizon. 

Focus on Your Goals

When you have a laser focus on accomplishing your goals, no one can stand in your way!

Isolate yourself from toxic relationships and find a way to work with people who nourish you mentally by challenging your thoughts in a way that helps you take leaps forward in cognition -- not those who make you want to hide in a corner and nurse your wounds. Few supervisors will notice that you're changing the subject if you take them towards a topic that is close to their heart, especially if you choose one that's going exceptionally well. 

Choose to Behave Productively

While you may be stuck in the rut of listening to negativity simply out of a need to be polite, keep in mind that you have a choice.

When someone starts going down that same old road towards negativity, gently let them know that you are focusing on the positive aspects. You appreciate their viewpoint, but you don't feel it is productive. This can be a bit dicey if the individual sharing the negative elements in their life is your superior, but find a way to wrap the conversation back to a positive -- and productive -- bent. 

Don't allow these energy vampires to suck the happiness from your life. Combat the negativity by staying relentlessly positive, and always finding a way to compliment others and help them see the brighter side of every situation. When you make these decisions, you are automatically reducing the impact of negativity in your life, and opening up a whole new avenue for happiness.