Coping with Challenging People Tip #1: Pretend that Rude People Are Childhood Toys

No matter how positive you are, you cannot control the fact that jerks exist and that you have to interact with them in professional settings. Whenever I have to work with someone who is unreasonable, ridiculous or just plain nasty, I visualize them in my mind’s eye as the Fisher Price Little People toys I used to play with as a child. By pretending this little toy is yelling, being passive aggressive or saying rude things, it helps me laugh at how silly the person is and how silly he or she must seem to everyone else. It’s a technique that reminds me that the other person is only as powerful as I perceive them to be.